The Times-Picayune 10-17-2025 by The Advocate

Budget crisis threatens N.O. trashpickup

NewOrleans officials areconsidering whether toraise the fee for weekly trash pickups or cut recycling and other sanitation-related servicestodeal with abudgetdeficit.

50%increasein fees needed to avoiddeepcuts, official says

BY BENMYERS Staff writer

The New Orleans budget fiascowill soon hit residents on their curbs or in their pocketbooks,ascityofﬁcialswrestle with whether to raise the feefor weekly trash pickups or cut recycling and other sanitation-related services.

Without afee increase, the city’ssanitation departmentwill operate on abarebonesbudget that barely coversthe cost of curbside garbage hauling, according to Sanitation Director Matt Torri, who addressed the City Council on Thursday at ahearing on the department’sproposed

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

The police departments that patrol the New Orleans area lakefront have faced questions inrecent weeks over ajump in their spendingand SWAT-styletraining for the agency’sofﬁcers

On Thursday, residents of nearby neighborhoods gathered todiscuss the recent changes and said they couldn’tbehappier During ameeting of the South

budget for next year

In addition to cutting curbside and dropoff recycling, Torri said thedepartment’s budget, which as proposedwould drop from $71 million to $52 million, would require ending other quality-of-life sanitation services

The city would need to endcontracts aimed at cleaning up illegal dump sites, litter removal and cleanups after special events. Gone would be thecrews that pressure-wash theFrench Quarter.And forget about overtime: The $236,000 proposedallotment for that worker compensation isn’teven half of thepricetag for Mardi Gras cleanup,not to mention other

large special events, Torri said.

“Residents will experience adecrease in cleanliness and quality of life,” the sanitationdepartment warned as part of aslide presentation to the City Council.

“While we don’tadvocate for these cuts, we did need to preserve solid waste collection services throughout the city,and in order to do so, this is wherethe cuts arebeing proposed,”Torri told council members.

To prevent those service cuts, Mayor LaToyaCantrell is proposingtohike the monthlysanitation fee from $24 to $36 for

ä See TRASH, page 10A

Landry callsfor special session

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Gov. JeffLandryonThursday called foraspecial legislative session to begin on Oct. 23 to adjust next year’selection schedule —because of alegal challenge to Louisiana’svoting map for Congress.

But exactly what lawmakers will try to do remains unclear,in part because stringent election rules limitthe changes that theSecretary of State’sOffice can allow them to make.

Whatever changes le gislators agree on will likely have broad implications in determiningwhich areas of Congress the six members of the U.S. House will represent.

“We’rewaiting forlegislation from the Governor’sOfﬁce since he issuedthe call,”saidSenate President Cameron Henry,R-Metairie. “He hasn’tarticulated yet which dates and what changes he wants. Once we have that, then we can begin thebilldraftingfor the session.”

Landry’scall, which establishes what issues legislators can consider in the session, contains asingle item: “to legislate relative to the election code, election dates, electiondeadlines, andelection plans for the2026electioncycle,and to provide forthe funding thereof,if necessary.”

It does not ask legislators to redrawthe congressionalmap on a contingencybasis,asLandryhad wanted them to do.

“Wedon’twant the Supreme

ä See SESSION, page 14A

“Give them whatever resources they need to be as professional as Residentsdefend levee police as budget grows

Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East’sboard,residents from Lakeshore,Lake Vista and other nearby neighborhoods praised the agency’s police ofﬁcers. They told Superintendent Joshua Rondeno they feltsafer intheir neighborhoods and were glad that the police were receiving additional equipment and training.

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

There’smore than ayear untilLouisiana elects its next U.S. senator,but millions of dollars in campaign contributions are already pouring in.

Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, is facing acrowded ﬁeldoffellow Republicans in

the state’snew closed primary system,inwhich GOPcandidates will all face off in an election to decide which single Republican will be on theballot in November Campaign ﬁnance data shows Cassidy has $9.5 million in the bank, by farthe mostofany candidateinthe race.But two other candidates,state Sen. Blake Miguez and Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, each

Cassidyleads in fundraising ä See SENATE, page 14A

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Landry

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Rondeno, superintendent of police at the Flood Protection Authority-East, received praise from residents at aboard meetingon Thursday.

U.S. prosecutors charge Smartmatic in bribe case

MIAMI Federal prosecutors have charged voting technology ﬁrm Smartmatic with money laundering and other crimes arising from more than $1 million in bribes that several executives allegedly paid to election ofﬁcials in the Philippines.

The payments, between 2015 and 2018, were made to obtain a contract with the Philippines government to help run that country’s 2016 presidential election and secure the timely payment for its work, according to a superseding indictment ﬁled Thursday in a Florida federal court.

Three former executives of Smartmatic, including cofounder Roger Pinate, were previously charged in 2024 but at the time South Florida-based Smartmatic was not named as a defendant Pinate, who no longer works for Smartmatic but remains a shareholder has pleaded not guilty

The criminal case is unfolding as Smartmatic is pursuing a $2.7 billion lawsuit accusing Fox News of defamation for airing false claims that the company helped rig the 2020 U.S. presidential election in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. Smartmatic in a statement denied the allegations. “This is again, targeted, political, and unjust,” the company said. “Smartmatic will continue to stand by its people and principles. We will not be intimidated by those pulling the strings of power.”

N.C. Republicans unveil new congressional map

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Republicans unveiled a new congressional map Thursday, ofﬁcially entering the national redistricting battle as President Donald Trump pushes GOPcontrolled states to redraw their maps in his party’s favor ahead of the midterms. If enacted, the map could ﬂip the 1st Congressional District in Republicans’ favor, ousting U.S. Rep. Don Davis, a moderate Democrat.

North Carolina’s map, which was redrawn in 2023, already heavily favors the GOP, electing 10 Republicans and four Democrats last year

The new map is an even more aggressive attempt to maneuver districts in Republicans’ favor and is likely to face legal challenges for racial gerrymandering, given that it affects the state’s historic “Black belt.” At President Donald Trump’s request, North Carolina Republicans proposed a new congressional map likely to pick up another seat for the GOP

The 1st District, which is currently located in northeastern North Carolina, would be redrawn to include several Republican-leaning counties along the coast.

Billionaire Ill. governor wins $1.4M in blackjack SPRINGFIELD,Ill.— It ﬁgures that a billionaire would win big in Las Vegas. Illinois Gov JB Pritzker reported a gambling windfall of $1.4 million on his federal tax return this week.

The two-term Democrat told reporters in Chicago on Thursday that he drew charmed hands in blackjack during a vacation with ﬁrst lady MK Pritzker and friends in Sin City “I was incredibly lucky,” he said. “You have to be to end up ahead, frankly, going to a casino anywhere.” Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt hotel chain, has a net worth of $3.9 billion, tied for No. 382 on the Forbes 400 list of the nation’s richest people. A campaign spokesperson said via email that Pritzker planned to donate the money to charity but did not respond when asked why he hadn’t already done so. The Pritzkers reported income of $10.66 million in 2024, mostly from dividends and capital gains. They paid $1.6 million in taxes on taxable income of $5.87 million. Pritzker is an avid card player whose charitable Chicago Poker Challenge has raised millions of dollars for the Holocaust Museum and Education Center The Vegas windfall was a “net number” given wins and losses on one trip, he said.

Trump confirms CIA is operating in Venezuela

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump

conﬁrmed Wednesday that he has authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela and said he was weighing carrying out land operations on the country

The acknowledgment of covert action in Venezuela by the U.S. spy agency comes after the U.S. military in recent weeks has carried out a series of deadly strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean. U.S. forces have destroyed at least ﬁve boats since early September, killing 27 people, and four of those vessels originated from Venezuela.

Asked during an event in the Oval Office on Wednesday why he had authorized the CIA to take action in Venezuela, Trump afﬁrmed he had made the move.

“I authorized for two reasons, really,”

Trump replied. “No. 1, they have emptied their prisons into the United States of America,” he said. “And the other thing, the drugs, we have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela, and a lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea.”

Trump added the administration “is looking at land” as it considers further strikes in the region. He declined to say whether the CIA has authority to take action against President Nicolás Maduro.

Trump made the unusual acknowledgment of a CIA operation shortly after The New York Times published that the CIA had been authorized to carry out covert action in Venezuela.

Maduro’s reaction

On Wednesday, Maduro lashed out at the record of the U.S. spy agency in various conﬂicts around the world without directly addressing Trump’s comments about authorizing the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela.

“No to regime change that reminds us so much of the (overthrows) in the failed eternal wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and so on,” Maduro said at a televised event of the National Council for Sovereignty and Peace, which is made up of

representatives from various political, economic, academic and cultural sectors in Venezuela.

“No to the coups carried out by the CIA, which remind us so much of the 30,000 disappeared,” a ﬁgure estimated by human rights organizations such as the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo during the military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-83).

“How long will the CIA continue to carry on with its coups? Latin America doesn’t want them, doesn’t need them and repudiates them,” Maduro added.

Speaking in English, Maduro said: “Not war yes peace, not war Is that how you would say it? Who speaks English? Not war, yes peace, the people of the United States, please. Please, please, please.”

Early this month, the Trump administration declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and pronounced the United States is now in an “armed conﬂict” with them, justifying the military action as a necessary escalation to stem the ﬂow of drugs into the United States.

Congressional reaction

The move has spurred anger in Congress from members of both major political parties that Trump was effectively committing an act of war without seeking congressional authorization.

On Wednesday Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said while she supports cracking down on trafﬁcking, the administration has gone too far

“The Trump administration’s authorization of covert CIA action, conducting lethal strikes on boats and hinting at land operations in Venezuela slides the United States closer to outright conﬂict with no transparency, oversight or apparent guardrails,” Shaheen said “The American people deserve to know if the administration is leading the U.S. into another conﬂict, putting servicemembers at risk or pursuing a regime-change operation.”

The administration has yet to provide underlying evidence that the boats targeted by the U.S. military were in fact carrying narcotics, according to two U.S. ofﬁcials familiar with the matter

U.S. commander overseeing strikes against boats will retire

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Navy admiral who oversees military operations in the region where U.S. forces have been attacking alleged drug boats off Venezuela will retire in December he and the defense secretary announced Thursday

Adm. Alvin Holsey became the leader of U.S. Southern Command only in November, overseeing an area that encompasses the Caribbean Sea and waters off South America. These types of postings typically last between three and four years.

Holsey said in a statement posted on the command’s Facebook page that it’s “been an honor to serve our nation, the American people and support and defend our Constitution for over 37 years.”

In a post on X Thursday afternoon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth thanked Holsey for his “decades of service to our country, and we wish him and his family continued success and fulﬁllment in the years ahead.”

Ofﬁcials at the Pentagon did not provide any more information and referred to Hegseth’s statement on social media.

Madagascar

coup leader to be quickly sworn in as president

U.N. condemns takeover

By The Associated Press

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar The United Nations chief on Thursday condemned the military takeover in Madagascar as an army colonel who led the coup was set to be quickly sworn in as president just three days after announcing soldiers had taken charge.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres “condemns the unconstitutional change of government in Madagascar and calls for the return to constitutional order and the rule of law,” his spokesperson said. Col. Michael Randrianirina is due to be sworn in as Madagascar’s leader at a ceremony at the High Constitutional Court on Friday, according to a statement by the colonel, which he signed as the president of the “refounded” repub-

lic of Madagascar

Ousted President Andry Rajoelina ﬂed the Indian Ocean nation off the east coast of Africa following the military rebellion, claiming his life was in danger His whereabouts are unknown. Madagascar has been suspended from the African Union, which said it “totally rejects” the takeover Randrianirina announced Tuesday that the armed forces were taking control after three weeks of deadly anti-government protests led mainly by disaffected young people, who have railed against government service failures, poverty and a lack of opportunities while accusing the elite of corruption and nepotism. The protesters have mobilized under the title “Gen Z Madagascar” and their uprising echoed youth-led protest movements that have toppled leaders in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Alaska works to evacuate people in historic airlift

BY BECKY BOHRER and JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska One of the most signiﬁcant airlifts in Alaska history is underway by helicopter and military transport plane, moving hundreds of people from coastal villages ravaged by high surf and strong winds from the remnants of Typhoon Halong last weekend.

The storm brought record high water to two low-lying Alaska Native communities and washed away homes, some with people inside. At least one person was killed and two are missing. Makeshift shelters were quickly established and swelled to hold about 1,500 people, an extraordinary number in a sparsely populated region where communities are reachable only by air or water this time of year

The remoteness and scale of the destruction created challenges for getting resources in place. Damage assessments have been trickling in as responders have shifted from initial search-and-rescue operations to trying to stabilize or restore basic services.

The communities of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok near the Bering Sea saw water levels more than 6 feet above the highest normal tide line. Some 121 homes were destroyed in Kipnuk, a village of about 700 people.

Leaders asked the state to evacuate the more than 1,000 residents from those villages, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson with the state emergency management ofﬁce.

About 300 evacuees were brought to Anchorage on Wednesday, about 500 miles east of the battered coastal villages, according to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

People were being taken to the Alaska Airlines Center a sports and events complex with capacity for about 400, Zidek said.

Shelter space closer to home — in the southwest Alaska regional hub of Bethel was at capacity with the food supply “near depletion,” ofﬁcials said in a brieﬁng Thursday Cellphone service had been restored in Kwigillingok, the report said, and restrooms were again working at the school in Kwigillingok, where about 350 people had sheltered overnight Tuesday, according to a state emergency management statement.

“Damage to many homes is severe, and the community leadership is instructing residents not to reenter homes due to safety concerns,” it said.

Damage was also serious in other villages. Water, sewer and well systems were inoperable in Napaskiak, and the Coast Guard on Thursday was expected to arrive in another village to assess a spill of up to 2,000 gallons of waste oil.

In Kwigillingok and Kipnuk some homes cannot be reoccupied, even with emergency repairs, and others may not be livable by winter, emergency management ofﬁcials said. Forecasters say rain and snow is possible in the region this weekend, with average temperatures soon below freezing.

The crisis unfolding in southwest Alaska has drawn attention to Trump administration cuts to grants aimed at helping small, mostly Indigenous villages prepare for storms or mitigate disaster risks. For example, a $20 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant to Kipnuk, which was inundated by ﬂoodwaters, was terminated by the Trump administration, a move challenged by environmental groups. The grant was intended to protect the boardwalk residents use to get around the community, as well as 1,400 feet of river from erosion, according to a federal website that tracks government spending.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BRIAN INGANGA

Protesters dance on top of a car during a protest calling for President Andry Rajoelina to step down Tuesday in Antananarivo, Madagascar

Bolton chargedwithmishandlingof files

Former national security adviser accusedofhaving topsecretinfo

BY ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKINRICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

GREENBELT,Md. John Bolton, who served as national security adviser to President Donald Trump during his ﬁrstterm andlater became avocal critic of the Republican leader, was charged Thursday with storing top secret records at home and sharing with relatives diarylike notes about his time in government that contained classiﬁed information.

The 18-count indictment also suggests classified informationwas exposed

when operatives believed to be linked to theIranian regime hacked Bolton’s emailaccountand gained access to sensitive material he hadshared. ABolton representative told the FBI in 2021 that his emails had beenhacked, prosecutors say, but did not reveal he had shared classified information through the account or that the hackers now had possession of governmentsecrets. The indictment sets the stage for aclosely watched court case centering on a longtime ﬁxture in Republicanforeignpolicy circles who became known forhis hawkish views on American power and who servedfor more than ayear in Trump’s

ﬁrst administration before being ﬁred in 2019 andpublishing ascathingly critical book about the president

Bolton

The case, thethird against aTrump adversary in the last month, will also unfold againstthe backdropof concernsthatthe Justice Departmentispursuing the president’spolitical enemies while at the same time sparing his allies from scrutiny Bolton foreshadowed that argument in adeﬁant statement Thursday in which he denied thechargesand called them part of an “intensive effort” by Trumpto “intimidatehis opponents.”

“Now,Ihave become the latesttarget in weaponizing the JusticeDepartment to chargethose he deemsto be his enemies withcharges that were declined before or distort the facts,” he said.

Even so,the indictment is signiﬁcantly more detailed

in itsallegations than earlier cases against former FBI DirectorJamesComey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Unlike the other twocases filed over the last month by ahastily appointed U.S. attorney,this onewas signed by career national security prosecutors.

The indictment, filed in federal court in Greenbelt, Maryland, alleges thatbetween 2018 and this past August, Bolton shared with two relatives morethan 1,000 pagesofinformation about hisday-to-dayactivitiesin government

The material included “diary-like” entries with information classified as high as topsecretthathe had learned from meetings with other U.S.government ofﬁcials, fromintelligence brieﬁngs or talks with foreign leaders, according to the indictment. After send-

ing one document, Bolton wrote in amessage to his relatives, “None of whichwe talk about!!!” In response, oneofhis relatives wrote, “Shhhhh,” prosecutors said.

The indictment says that amongthe material shared wasinformation aboutforeign adversariesthatin somecases revealed details about sources and methods usedbythe government to collect intelligence. One document related to aforeign adversary’splans for a missile launch, while another detailed U.S. government plans for covert action and included intelligence blaming an adversary foranattack, court papers say Bolton’sattorney,Abbe Lowell, saidina statement that the “underlying facts in this casewereinvestigated and resolved years ago.”

He said the charges stem fromportions of Bolton’s

personal diaries over his 45year career in government and includedunclassified information that was shared only with his immediate family and wasknowntothe FBI as farback as 2021. Bolton suggestedthe criminalcasewas an outgrowth of an unsuccessful Justice Department effort after he leftgovernment to block the publication of his 2020 book “The Room Where It Happened,”whichportrayed Trumpasgrosslymisinformed about foreign policy. The Trump administration assertedthatBolton’smanuscript containedclassified information that could harm national security if exposed. Bolton’slawyers have said he moved forward with the book after aWhite House National Security Council official said the manuscript no longer had classified information.

Senate Dems reject government fundingbillfor 10th time

BY STEPHENGROVES and MARYCLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate Democrats rejected for the 10th time Thursday astopgap spending bill that would reopen the government, insisting they won’tback away from demands that Congress take up health care beneﬁts.

The vote failedona51-45 tally, well short of the60 needed to advance with the Senate’sﬁlibuster rules.

The repetition of voteson the funding bill has become adaily drumbeat in Congress, underscoring how intractable the situation has become. It has been at times theonly item on the agenda for theSenatefloor,while House Republicans have left Washington altogether

The standoff haslasted over two weeks, leaving hundreds of thousands of federalworkers furloughed, even more without aguaranteed payday and Congress essentiallyparalyzed.

“As we are positioning as two sides that are seemingly dug in on this 16th day of a shutdown, realpeople are wondering is their government going tobethere for them?” said GOPSen.Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune again and again has tried to pressure Democrats to break from their strategy of voting against thestopgap funding bill.It hasn’tworked. And while

some bipartisantalks have been ongoing about potential compromises on healthcare, theyhaven’tproduced any meaningful progresstoward reopening the government.

“The Democratic Party is theparty that willnot take yes for an answer,” Thune, R-S.D., said in an angry speech on the Senateﬂoor He hadalso offered to hold alater vote on extending subsidies forhealth plans offered under Affordable Care Act marketplaces, but saidhewouldnot “guarantee aresult or an outcome.”

Democrats saythey won’t budge until they get aguarantee on extending the tax credits for the health plans. They warn that millions of Americans who buy their own health insurance— such as small-business owners, farmers and contractors —willsee largeincreases

when premium prices go outinthe comingweeks. Lookingahead to aNov.1 deadline in moststates,they think voters will demand that Republicans enter into serious negotiations.

Adeadlinefor subsidies Democrats have rallied around their priorities on health care as theyhold out againstvotingfor aRepublicanbillthatwouldreopen the government. Yetthey alsowarnthat thetime to strike adeal to prevent large increases for many health plans is drawing short When they controlled Congress during thepandemic, Democratsboosted subsidies for Affordable Care Acthealthplans. It pushed enrollment under President Barack Obama’ssignature health care lawtonew levels anddrove the rate of

Military paychecksarriveontime

The Virginian-Pilot (TNS)

After two weeks of uncertainty,active duty military reportedly received their Oct. 15 paychecks.

About 1.3 million service members and thousands of activated National Guard members and reservists are expectedtoreceive their mid-month depositsbyWednesday. Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem conﬁrmed thatCoast Guard members, who fall under her department, will receive their regular paychecks as well.

The Pentagon tapped $6.5 billion in unspent research and development funds from theprior ﬁscal year to cover thebill. Since the government shut down Oct. 1, service members, whoare deemed essential,have beenworkingwithout guaranteed pay

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said Wednesday that themeasurewas “a temporaryfix.” If theshutdownlasts through the end of October, militarymembers may not see their next check.

Otheressential federal workers continue to work without pay

uninsured people to ahistoriclow.Nearly 24 million people currentlyget their health insurance from subsidized marketplaces, according to health care research nonproﬁt KFF.

Democrats—and some Republicans— are worried that many of those people will forgo insurance if the price risesdramatically.While the tax credits don’texpire until next year,healthinsurers will soon send outnotices of the price increases.

Sen. Patty Murray,the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said she has heard from “families whoare absolutely panickingabout their premiumsthat are doubling.”

“Theyare small-business owners who are having to think about abandoning the job theylovetoget employer-sponsoredhealth care elsewhere or just forgoing coverage altogether,” she

added.

HouseSpeaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, this week called the COVID-era subsidies a“boondoggle.”

President Donald Trump has said he would “like to see adeal done forgreat healthcare,”but hasnot meaningfully weighed into thedebate.And Thunehas insisted that Democratsﬁrst vote to reopen the government before entering any negotiations on health care.

If Congress weretoengage in negotiations on significant changes to health care, it would likely take weeks, if not longer,towork out acompromise.

Appropriations billsvote

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans held avote to proceed to abill to fund the Defense Department andpossibly several other areas of government. This would have turned theSenate to Thune’s

priority of working through spending bills and potentially paved the waytopaying salaries for troops, though the House would have eventually needed to comeback to Washingtontovotefor a ﬁnal bill negotiated between the twochambers. It would have potentially put acrack in Democrats’ resolve, but the vote on theprocedurefailed50-44 with Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman and Jeanne Shaheen the only Democrats voting in favor

“This is politics. If anything was needed to demonstrate just howfundamentally uninterested Democrats are in supporting our troops and defending our country,just take alook at this vote,” Thune yelledon the Senate ﬂoor

“So many of you have asked all of us, how will it end?” Johnson said. “We have no idea.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOSByJ.SCOTT APPLEWHITE

Senate MinorityLeader Chuck Schumer,D-N.y., left, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.,speakwith reportersWednesdayatthe Capitol in Washington about the struggle to end thegovernment shutdown.

Trumpsayshe’ll meet PutininHungary

BY AAMER MADHANI, SEUNG MIN KIM and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trumpisredoubling hisefforts to end thewar in Ukraine, announcing a second meeting withRussia’sVladimir Putin one day before sitting down with Ukraine’sVolodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House Trump’sannouncement came shortly after ﬁnishing acall with PutinonThursday.Adate has not been set but Trump said the meeting would take place in Budapest, Hungary,and suggested that it could happen in about two weeks.

“I believe greatprogress was made with today’stelephone conversation,”Trump wrote on social media. The two leaders previously met in Alaska in August, which

did not producea diplomatic breakthrough, asource of frustration for theU.S. leader who had expected that hislongstanding relationship with Putin could pave theway to resolving aconﬂict that began nearly

four years ago. Yuri Ushakov,Putin’sforeign affairs adviser,said the Russianpresident initiated thecall, which he described as “very frank and trusting.” He said Putin emphasized to Trumpthat selling long-

range Tomahawk missilesto Ukraine, something theU.S. president haspublicly discussed, would “inﬂict signiﬁcant damage to the relations between our countries.” Trumpwas already scheduled to meet Fridaywith Zelenskyy,who has been seeking weapons that would allow Ukrainian forces to strike deeper into Russian territory.Zelenskyy has arguedsuchstrikeswould help compel Putintotake Trump’scalls for direct negotiationstoend the war moreseriously

Trump previously said that the U.S.has “a lotofTomahawks,” but on Thursday he said stockpiles werelimited and may not have missiles to spare.“We have alot of them, but we need them” he said. “I mean,wecan’tdeplete forour country.” Trump’srenewed focus on the warinUkrainecomes

Russianbarrage causes blackoutsinUkraine

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Russiabattered Ukraine’senergy facilities with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles in its latest heavy bombardment of the country’spower grid, authorities said Thursday,asUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prepared to ask President Donald Trump at aWhite House meeting for more American-made air defenses and long-range missiles. Eight Ukrainianregions experienced blackouts after the barrage, Ukraine’s national energy operator,Ukrenergo, said. DTEK, the country’s largest private energy company,reported outagesin

thecapital, Kyiv,and said it hadto stop itsnatural gas extraction inthe central Poltava region due to the strikes. Natural gas infrastructure was damaged for thesixth time this month,Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned oiland gas company,said.

Zelenskyy said Russia ﬁred more than 300 drones and 37 missiles at Ukraine overnight. He accused Russia of using clustermunitions and conducting repeated strikes on the same target to hitemergency crews and engineers workingto repair thegrid.

“This fall, the Russians are using every singleday to strike our energy infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said on Telegram. The Ukrainian power grid

Trumpwarns Hamas‘we

been one of Russia’s main targets sinceits invasion of its neighbormore than three years ago. Attacks increase as the bitterly cold months approach in aRussian strategy that Ukrainian ofﬁcials call “weaponizing winter.” Russia says it aimsonly at targetsofmilitary value. Ukraine hashit back by targeting oil reﬁneriesand related infrastructure that are crucial for Russia’s economy and war effort. Ukraine’sgeneral staffsaid Thursday its forces struck Saratov oil refinery, in the Russian region of thesame name, for the second timein two months.The facility is located 300 miles from the Ukrainian border. Moscow made no immediate commentonthe claim

will have no choice but to go in andkill them’if

BY AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Thursday warned Hamas “we will have no choice but to go in and killthem” if internal bloodshed persists in Gaza.

The grim warning from Trump came after he previously downplayed the internal violence in the territory since aceaseﬁre and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect last week in the two-year war Trump later clarified he won’tsend U.S. troopsinto Gaza after launchingthe threat against Hamas.

“It’snot going to be us,” Trump said in an exchange with reporters. “Wewon’t have to. There are people very close, very nearby that will go in and they’ll do the trick veryeasily,but under our auspices.”

The president did not specify if he was speakingof Israel, but action by Israeli forces could risk violating terms of the ceaseﬁre agreement.

Gaza bloodshedpersists

Thepresident’sshift in tonewith Hamaswas notable.

Trump said Tuesday that Hamashad taken out“a couple of gangs that werevery bad” and had killed anumberofgang members. “That didn’tbother memuch, to be honest with you,” he said TheRepublicanpresident did not say howhewould follow throughonhis threat posted on his Truth Social platform, and the White House did not immediately respond to arequest for comment seeking clarity.

ButTrumpalso madeclear he had limited patience for the killings that Hamas was carryingout againstrival factions inside the devastated territory

“They will disarm, and if they don’t do so,wewill disarm them, and it’ll happen quicklyand perhaps violently,” Trumpsaid. The Hamas-runpolice maintained ahigh degree of publicsecurity after the militants seizedpower in Gaza 18 years ago, while also cracking down on dis-

sent. They largely melted away in recentmonthsas Israeli forces seizedlarge areas of Gaza andtargeted Hamas securityforces with airstrikes.

Powerful local families andarmed gangs, including some anti-Hamas factions backed by Israel,stepped into the void. Many are accusedofhijacking humanitarian aid and selling it for proﬁt, contributing to Gaza’s starvation crisis.

Theceasefire plan introduced by Trump had called for all hostages —living and dead —tobehanded over by adeadline that expired Monday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said WednesdaythatIsrael“will notcompromise” anddemanded that Hamas fulfill therequirements laid out in the ceaseﬁre deal about the return of hostages’ bodies.

Hamas’ armed wing said in astatement Wednesday thatthe group honored the ceaseﬁre’sterms and handed over the remains of the hostages it had access to.

Ukraine, which is almost the size of Texas, is hard to defend from theair in itsentirety,and Kyiv ofﬁcials are seeking more Western help to fend against aerial attacks and strike back at Russia Ukraine is seeking cruise missiles,air defensesystems and joint drone production agreements fromthe United States, Kyiv ofﬁcials say.Zelenskyy also wants tougher international economic sanctions on Moscow The Institute for theStudy of War, aWashington think tank, said in an assessment publishedlate Wednesday thatsending Tomahawks to Ukraine would not escalatethe war andwould only “mirror Russia’sown useof …long-range cruise missiles against Ukraine.”

after forging aceasefire that could endthe warbetween Israel and Hamas in Gaza, a diplomatic accomplishment that he celebratedwitha whirlwind trip to Israel and Egypt on Monday Ending the wars in Ukraine andGazawas central to Trump’scampaign pitch last year,when he persistently pilloried President Joe Biden for his handling of the conflicts. Although there has been fragile progress in Gaza, Trump hasbeen stymiedby Putin, unable to persuade theRussian leader to hold direct talks with Zelenskyy Friday’smeeting with Trump and Zelenskyy will be their fourth face-to-face encounter this year.After their initial Oval Office conversation devolvedinto recriminations, they’ve forged amore amicable relationship.

Waiting forTrump’sblessing is legislation in the Senate that would impose steep tariffs on countries that purchaseRussia’s oil, gas, uranium andother exportsinan attempt to cripple Moscow economically

Though the president hasn’tformally endorsed it —and Republican leaders do not plan to move forward without his support —the White House has shown, behind the scenes, more interest in the bill in recent weeks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday offered the most upbeat prospectsyet for the bill, sayingsenators will consider it “in the next 30 days.”

However,Trump suggested thathewanted to tapthe brakes.

“I’m not against anything,” he said. “I’m just saying, it may not be perfect timing.”

Whycallaroundandwaitforquotes? WithHouseFly,youseerealprices,compare trustedlocalservicepros,andbookinstantly

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ALEXANDERZEMLIANICHENKO

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, givesa soccer ball to President Donald Trump at the PresidentialPalace in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018.

Appealscourt leaves blockofGuard deployment intact

BY JASON MEISNER ChicagoTribune (TNS)

CHICAGO Saying “political opposition is not rebellion,” afederal appeals court in Chicago on Thursday denied the Trump administration’srequest for an emergency stay of adistrict judge’sorder barring the president from deploying National Guard troops in the city and state.

In its ruling,the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said theﬁndings by U.S. DistrictJudge April Perry were not “clearly erroneous” and that “the facts do not justify” President Donald Trump’sactions.

“The spirited, sustained, and occasionally violent actions of demonstrators in protest of the federal government immigrationpolicies and actions, without more, does not give rise to adanger ofrebellion against the government’sauthority,” the opinion by Justices Ilana Rovner,David Hamilton, and Amy St. Eve read.

The ruling keeps in effectPerry’sgranting of atemporary restraining order Thursday halting

President Donald Trump’splan to send federalizedNational Guard troops into theChicagoarea to act as asecurity forceduring the administration’scontroversial immigration enforcement action known as “Operation Midway Blitz.”

TheDepartment of Justice argued in aﬁling lastweek thatPerry’s order “improperly impingeson

the Commander in Chief’s supervision of military operations, countermands amilitarydirective to ofﬁcersinthe ﬁeld, and endangers federal personnel and property.”

The motion asked the higher court to freeze Perry’sorder while an appeal is pending, saying the National Guardshouldbeallowed to “protect federal personnel and

Judgewants agents to wear body cameras

BY CHRISTINE FERNANDO Associated Press

CHICAGO Troubled by clashes between agents and the public, a judge on Thursday said shewill require federal immigration ofﬁcers in the Chicago area to wear body cameras, and she also summoned asenior ofﬁcialtocourtnext week to discuss an enforcement operation that has resulted in more than 1,000 arrests.

U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said she was a“little startled” after seeing TV images of street confrontations that involved tear gas and other tactics during an immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump’sadministration.

“I live in Chicago if folks haven’t noticed,” Ellis said. “And I’m not blind, right?”

Community efforts to oppose U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement have ramped up in Chicago, where neighborhood groups have assembledtomonitor ICE activity and ﬁlm incidents

involving agents. More than 1,000 immigrants have been arrested since September Ellis last week said agents in the area must wear badges, and she banned them from using certain riot controltechniquesagainst peaceful protesters and journalists. “I’mhaving concerns about my order being followed,”the judge said

“I am adding that allagents who areoperating in Operation Midway Blitzare to wear body-worn cameras, and they are to be on,” Ellis said,referring tothe government’s name for the crackdown.

U.S. Justice Department attorneySean Skedzielewski laid blame with “one-sided and selectively edited media reports.” He also said it wouldn’tbepossible to immediately distribute cameras.

“I understand that. Iwould not be expecting agents to wear bodyworn cameras they do not have,” Ellis said,addingthatthe details could beworked out later “DHS will continue to oppose all

efforts to vilify law enforcement and prop up thecauseofviolent rioters,”said Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.“Were acourt to enter such an order in the future, thatwould be an extreme act of judicial activism.” Ellis saidcameras would provide evidencetoback up howagents handleconfrontations with protesters. Ellis said theﬁeld director of the enforcement effort mustappear in court Monday

Gov.JBPritzker praised the judge’s ruling, saying the government’sstatements aboutarrests and other incidents, including last month’sfatal shooting of asuburban Chicago man,have often been inaccurate. “They clearly lie about what goes on,”hetold reporters. “It’s hard for us to know right away what the truth is.”

In 2024, Immigration and Customs Enforcement began deploying about 1,600 body cameras to agents assignedtoEnforcement and Removal Operations.

property” while the litigation continues to play out.

In aresponse, attorneys forIllinois Attorney General Kwame Raoulsaid Perry wascorrect in halting Trump’sillegal and unconstitutionalplantodispatchfederalized troops to Chicago with no clearly deﬁned scope of the mission, itsduration, or any “provable factual underpinning.”

It was clear, theplaintiffs’attorneys argued, that “absent an injunction, the federalgovernment could andwould use the troops consistentwiththe unbounded scope of the federalizationorders —that is, to assist any federal agency on anyfederal mission that is occurring anywhere in Illinois.”

Perry on Thursday blocked Trump from deploying National Guard troopstothe city and state, saying shehad no faith in the government’sclaimsofout-of-control violence and that it was federal agents who started it by aggressively targeting protesters with tear gas andmilitaristic tactics.

Trumphas claimed ongoing violenceand clashes between protest-

ers and immigration agents in Chicago and other U.S. cities justified sendingfederalized troops onto the streets as security,even as local and state officials accused the president of manufacturing acrisis to justify unnecessary —and unprecedented —force. In her oral ruling from the bench, Perry,aBidenappointee, said the Trumpadministration’sattempts to castprotesters as violent rebels “cannot be aligned” with the viewoflocal officials. Perry said she had no faith in the declarations of federalofficialssubmitted to the court due in large part of agrowing body of evidencethatthe U.S. Department of HomelandSecurity’sviewsare “simply unreliable.”

Aspokespersonfor Trump said the judge got it wrong.

“Amidst ongoing violent riots and lawlessness, that local leaders like Pritzker have refused to step in to quell, President Trump has exercised his lawful authority to protect federal ofﬁcers and assets,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson wrote in an emailed statement.

BY SOPHIE BATES Associated Press

LELAND,Miss. Nine people have nowbeen arrested in connection withamass shooting in the Mississippi Delta town of Leland that left sixpeople dead, an FBI special agent said Thursday RobertEikhoff,special agentin charge of the FBI’s Jackson Field Office, appearedatbriefing but gave no additional details of the newarrestsorchargesthose people face. Authorities had earlier said fivepeople wereincustody The downtown street where theshooting took place wasstill litteredwith shards of broken glass Thursday afternoon.Nearby,someone had placed three stuffed animalsand afew candles on astreet corner Stateand local law officers who spoke at Thursday’snews conference asked the publictoshare what they know with authorities. Several suspects have been

chargedwithcapital murder in theshooting last Fridayaround midnight that left more than a dozenpeople injuredinaddition to the six killed. Twoofthe injured areincriticalcondition, Eikhoffsaid. TheFBI’s JacksonField Ofﬁce has been posting pictures of suspectswanted forquestioning in the massshooting. It happened as people celebrated homecomingweekend in downtown Leland shortly after ahigh school football game. “It’s still kindofnumbnessat this point,” Leland MayorJohn Lee said Thursday The Leland shooting was the deadliest of several across Mississippilast weekend. Other shootings were reported at two othertowns wherehomecoming footballgames werebeing held and at Alcorn State andJackson State universities, which were also celebrating homecoming weekends.

CHICAGO TRIBUNEPHOTO By E. JASON WAMBSGANS

Protesters raisea “No TroopsinOur Streets” sign at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview,Ill., on Oct. 9.

residents and $48 to $72 for businesses, which wouldraise an estimated $19 million and avoid the most severe cuts. The City Council is weighing the proposal,but it’s not clear if any member will bring it up for avote.

The sanitation hikeisone of severalfee andtax increases Cantrell is proposing while grappling with a$160million budget deﬁcit and preparing to turn the keys to City Hall over to Mayor-elect Helena Moreno,who takesofﬁce on Jan.12.

Aspokesperson forher transitionteamdid not immediately comment Thursday

The sanitation fee hasn’trisen in 15 years, buthiking it now could be abitter pill for residentswho already feel like they’repayingfor services they aren’tgetting

that appearonthe garbage can when theysit out for just once a week,” Thomas said. “Wehear that from neighbors and people around the community,becausea lot of what’sput in the trash can are food products. Ican seeitat my own house.”

Uptown resident Darnell Philipson, who attended the hearing, saidtwice-weekly pickups are needed near theintersection of Carrollton Avenue andBroadwayStreet,which she said is crammedwith students living in close quarters whoproduce alot of trash.

“The smell is God-awful,” Philipsonsaid during public comments. “I was pretty surprised that they’re still considering once aweek. Ithought that as of Jan. 1, that would be different, but Iguess not.”

Community activist Sage Michael PelletsaidNew Orleans residents“deserve twice-a-week trash.”

Torri said moving to twice-weekly pickups would add $12 millionto thebudget, whichhesaid is unwise while the departmentisstruggling to cover its basic obligations.

“The city is receiving excellent service right now at agood value,” Torri said.“Given the current ﬁnancial climate we’relooking at, that’sreally what we should be focused on.”

Theexistingsanitationfee, which will generate an estimated $37 millionthis year,doesn’teven cover the full cost of once-weekly pickups under contractsCantrell solicited after Ida. Service had already been spotty,but it collapsed entirely afterthe hurricane and led to apublic health crisis with garbage piling up on streets for weeks.

terand Downtown Development District (which are covered by a separate contract that’scurrently under dispute), will cost $48 million this year,Torri said. Cantrell hinted at theneedto raise the feeintown hall meetings after signing the new contracts, but the idea never went anywhere because it wasn’turgently needed. City coffers were ﬂush with federal pandemic aid, and raising the fee while residents struggled with massive home insurancespikesand inﬂation was untenable.

Now, with thecity’sfinancial picture looking increasingly dire, council members appear more willing to test out the idea, though theyaren’tlikely to bring it fora vote without more public feedback.

The city cut weekly garbage service from two pickups to oneafter the trash crisis spurred by Hurricane Ida, but the fee remained steady CouncilmemberOliver Thomas askedTorrionThursday when the service would increase. “There are more maggots now

“That’swhatwe’re usedto. It seems like we’re just citizens that getcut and cut and cut.Being born and raised in New Orleans, we don’tsee growth, we justsee cuts,” Pellet said.

The new contracts, which call for more efficientequipment andbetter technology,havedelivered more reliable service, as evidenced by an 80% reduction in missedpickup complaints, according to Torri. They also doubled the costofcurbside waste disposal, even with just once-per-weekpickups. The contracts, which cover everywhere except the French Quar-

“There’sanarrative that I’mpaying fortwice aweek service, but I’m only getting it once. The truth is that the costshaveskyrocketed over thelastseveral years,”said council budget Chair Joe Giarrusso. “You can’texpect2025 services and 2010-12 costs.”

Email BenMyers at bmyers@ theadvocate.com.

BRIEFS

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Nestlé trims 16K jobs in cost-cutting campaign

Nestlé is cutting 16,000 jobs

globally as the Swiss food giant cuts costs as part of its efforts to revive its ﬁnancial performance

Nestlé, which makes Nescafé, KitKats, pet foods and many other well-known consumer brands, said Thursday that the job cuts will take place over the next two years. The Swiss company also said that it is raising targeted cost cuts to $3.76 billion by the end of next year, up from a planned $3.13 billion

It has been a turbulent year for the company, based in Vevey, Switzerland. Last month, Nestle dismissed CEO Laurent Freixe after an investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a subordinate.

Freixe had only been on the job for a year He was replaced by Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive.

Shortly after Freixe was ousted, Chairman Paul Bulcke stepped down early Nestlé is also ﬁghting a host of external headwinds like other food makers, including rising commodity costs and U.S. imposed tariffs. The company announced price hikes over the summer to offset higher coffee and cocoa costs.

Nestlé said Thursday that it will eliminate 12,000 white-collar positions in multiple locations The job cuts are expected to achieve annual savings of $1.25 billion by the end of next year

The company will cut 4,000 jobs as part of ongoing productivity initiatives in its manufacturing and supply chain.

Trump announces deal on fertility drug price

WASHINGTON Drugmaker EMD Serono will reduce the cost of a common fertility medication through a deal struck with the Trump administration, President Donald Trump said Thursday while also unveiling new federal guidance he said will encourage employers to offer fertility coverage. The new guidance will allow companies to offer fertility beneﬁts separate from major medical insurance plans, like they do with dental and vision plans, Trump said.

The Oval Ofﬁce announcement offers a first glimpse at how Trump plans to follow up on his executive order earlier this year aiming to reduce the cost of in vitro fertilization, a medical procedure that helps people facing infertility build their families. But it falls far short of his promise as a candidate to make IVF treatment free.

EMD Serono’s Gonal-f is among several drugs frequently used by patients going through IVF treatments — which involve using hormones to trigger ovulation, producing multiple eggs that are retrieved from the ovaries to be fertilized or frozen. The drugs can be expensive, often costing patients thousands of dollars for a single IVF cycle Many patients trying to get pregnant through IVF go through more than one cycle.

Trump said the drug will be available at a discount on TrumpRx, a government website where patients will be able to buy drugs directly from manufacturers.

Waymos to deliver

DoorDash in Phoenix

DoorDash Inc. customers in the Phoenix area may have their orders delivered by a Waymo autonomous vehicle as part of a new partnership that will help keep the robotaxis busy when there’s a lull in demand from passengers. Tests of the delivery service have started, with broader commercial operations planned for later this year DoorDash said Thursday in a statement. Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo cars will begin deliveries from DoorDashowned DashMart warehouses that act as fulﬁllment centers for convenience, grocery and retail goods from other brands. DoorDash said it plans to expand the number of participating merchants for autonomous delivery over time.

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

AI use increasing in cyberattacks

Microsoft says Russia, China using tech to escalate attacks on U.S.

BY DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Russia, China, Iran and North Korea have sharply increased their use of artiﬁcial intelligence to deceive people online and mount cyberattacks against the United States, according to new research from Microsoft.

This July the company identified more than 200 instances of foreign adversaries using AI to create fake content online, more than double the number from July 2024 and more than ten times the number seen in 2023.

The ﬁndings, published Thursday in Microsoft’s annual digital threats report, show how foreign adversaries are adopting new and innovative tactics in their efforts to weaponize the internet as a tool for espionage and deception.

America’s adversaries, as well as criminal gangs and hacking companies, have exploited AI’s potential, using it to automate and improve cyberattacks, to spread inflammatory disinformation and to penetrate sensitive systems. AI can translate poorly worded phishing emails into fluent English, for example, as well as generate digital clones of senior government officials.

Government cyber operations often aim to obtain classiﬁed information, undermine supply chains, disrupt critical public services or spread disinformation. Cyber criminals on the other hand work

for proﬁt by stealing corporate secrets or using ransomware to extort payments from their victims.

These gangs are responsible for the wide majority of cyberattacks in the world and in some cases have built partnerships with countries like Russia.

Increasingly, these attackers are using AI to target governments, businesses and critical systems like hospitals and transportation networks, according to Amy Hogan-Burney Microsoft’s vice president for customer security and trust, who oversaw the report. Many U.S. companies and organizations, meanwhile, are getting by with outdated cyber defenses, even as Americans expand their networks with new digital connections.

Companies, governments, organizations and individuals must take the threat seriously if they

are to protect themselves amid escalating digital threats, she said.

“We see this as a pivotal moment where innovation is going so fast,” Hogan-Burney said. “This is the year when you absolutely must invest in your cybersecurity basics.”

The U.S. is the top target for cyberattacks, with criminals and foreign adversaries targeting companies, governments and organizations in the U.S. more than any other country Israel and Ukraine were the second and third most popular targets, showing how military conﬂicts involving those two nations have spilled over into the digital realm.

Russia, China and Iran have denied that they use cyber operations for espionage, disruption and disinformation China, for instance, says the U.S. is trying to “ smear ” Beijing while conducting its own cyberattacks.

Stocks drop on worries about banks

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S. stocks fell on Thursday, hurt by drops for midsized banks as worries ﬂare about the loans they’ve made.

The S&P 500 slid 0.6% in its latest up-and-down day after erasing a morning gain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 301 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite lost 0.5%.

Zions Bancorp. tumbled 13.1% after the bank said its proﬁt for the third quarter will take a hit because of a $50 million chargeoff related to loans made to a pair of borrowers. Zions said it found “apparent misrepresentations and contractual defaults” by the borrowers and several people who guaranteed the loans, along with “other irregularities.”

Another bank, Western Alliance Bancorp, dropped 10.8% after saying it has sued a borrower, alleging fraud. It also said it’s standing by its ﬁnancial forecasts given for 2025.

Scrutiny is rising on the quality of loans that banks and other lenders have broadly made following last month’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection ﬁling of First Brands Group, a supplier of aftermarket auto parts. The question is whether the hiccups are just a collection of one-offs or a signal of something larger threatening the industry

Thursday’s swings on Wall Street, where the Dow bounced from an early gain of 169 points to an afternoon loss of 472, ﬁt the pattern of the week for stocks. They’ve been shaky since the end of last week, when President Donald Trump shattered a monthslong calm in the U.S. stock market by threatening much higher tariffs on China.

Thursday’s swoon erased an early morning gain driven by an encouraging signal about the artiﬁcial-intelligence boom.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reported a bigger jump in proﬁt for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Chief

Financial Ofﬁcer Wendell Huang also said TSMC expects “continued strong demand for our leading-edge process technologies” going into the end of the year

That’s important for the U.S. stock market because TSMC is a critical player in the AI frenzy making chips for such companies as Nvidia. And Nvidia and other AI stocks have been central to Wall Street’s surge to records this year even though inﬂation is still high and the job market is slowing.

U.S. companies broadly are under pressure to deliver stronger proﬁts after the S&P 500 surged 35% from a low in April. To justify those gains, which critics say made their stock prices too expensive, companies will need to show they’re making much more in proﬁt and will continue to do so.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

fell 10.1% after detailing longterm ﬁnancial targets that some analysts found underwhelming. That helped overshadow a 4% gain for Salesforce, which unveiled a plan to deliver more than 10% in compounded annual revenue growth in coming years.

J.B Hunt Transport Services trucked 22.1% higher after the freight company breezed past Wall Street’s proﬁt targets in the third quarter

In the oil market, crude prices swung lower after Trump agreed to meet with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Hungary in hopes of resolving the war in Ukraine. The war has had the United States trying to cut off purchases of Russian oil.

In the bond market, Treasury yields dropped as investors herded toward investments considered safer The yield on the 10-year Treasury sank to 3.97%

from 4.05% late Wednesday Gold also rose in the hunt for safer investments. It climbed 2.5% to $4,304.60 per ounce, bringing its stunning gain for the year so far to roughly 63%. A report in the morning said manufacturing activity in the mid-Atlantic region is unexpectedly shrinking. It’s one of the few windows into the economy that the Federal Reserve has been getting recently as it tries to ﬁgure out whether high inflation or the weak job market should be the bigger concern for the economy

The U.S. government’s shutdown is delaying important updates on the economy, such as a weekly update on unemployment claims that typically helps guide Wall Street’s trading each Thursday A day earlier, an important report on inﬂation was also delayed.

Feds offer transmission line upgrade loan guarantee

Energy Department finalizes deal with company in Midwest

BY MATTHEW DALY Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Department of Energy said Thursday it has ﬁnalized a $1.6 billion loan guarantee to a subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest power companies to upgrade nearly 5,000 miles of transmission lines across five states, mostly in the Midwest, for largely fossil fuel-run energy AEP Transmission will upgrade power lines in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia to enhance grid reliability and capacity, the Energy Department said. The project, ﬁrst offered un-

der the Biden administration, is meant to help meet surging electricity demand from data centers and artiﬁcial intelligence.

Ohio-based American Electric Power, which owns AEP Transmission, is one of the nation’s largest utilities, serving 5.6 million customers in 11 states. It primarily produces electricity from coal, natural gas and nuclear power, along with renewable resources such as wind and hydroelectric power Thursday’s announcement deepens the Trump administration’s commitment to traditional, polluting energy sources even as it works to discourage the U.S. from clean energy use.

Earlier this month, the administration canceled $7.6 billion in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states,

all of which voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. A total of 223 projects were terminated after a review determined they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable, the Energy Department said.

The loan guarantee finalized Thursday is the first offered by the Trump administration under the recently renamed Energy Dominance Financing program created by the massive tax-and-spending law approved this summer by congressional Republicans and signed by President Donald Trump. Electric utilities that receive loans through the program must provide assurances to the government that financial benefits from the financing will be passed on to customers, the Energy Department said.

The project and others being considered will help ensure that Americans “will have access to affordable, reliable and secure energy for decades to come,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.

“The president has been clear: America must reverse course from the energy subtraction agenda of past administrations and strengthen our electrical grid,” Wright said, adding that modernizing the grid and expanding transmission capacity “will help position the United States to win the AI race and grow our manufacturing base.”

The upgrades supported by the federal ﬁnancing will replace existing transmission lines in existing rights-of-way with new lines capable of carrying more energy, the power company said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICHARD DREW

Trader Dylan Halvorsan works Wednesday on the floor of the New york Stock Exchange.

Leaders mull how to implement AI in La. classrooms

Committee formed to guide students at every grade level

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

A group of education leaders in Louisiana will spend the next few months studying and making recommendations about how K-12 schools should implement artificial intelligence as it rapidly upends everyday life.

The committee will be composed of nearly 30 people from across the state, including members of the education board and Education Department, as well as national artiﬁcial intelligence experts.

They are expected to explore ways that schools can teach students at every grade level about responsible and ethical AI use, determine what age-appropriate lessons should look like and publish and update warnings on the technology’s risks

The group’s creation comes after the state education board in August called on Louisiana’s Education Department to research AI and to develop a game plan for implementing the technology in classrooms.

Gov Jeff Landry also issued an executive order this week that prohibits public schools from using AI programs that were developed by certain countries, including China. The governor said the rule will protect students, universities and state agencies from the inﬂuence of “hostile foreign governments.”

Proponents of the effort to expedite AI use in Louisiana schools cite the technology’s growing importance in the global economy But ensuring students, teachers and staff are prepared for an AIﬁlled future is a “stunningly

complex challenge,” said Louisiana Tech University President Jim Henderson on Tuesday Henderson was appointed to lead the new team.

Henderson pointed to AI’s rapid advancement, which he said makes it difﬁcult to develop education policy around the technology that can withstand the test of time. He also acknowledged concerns over protecting student data an issue state education leaders and experts have warned could put student privacy at risk.

Still, he said, it’s crucial that Louisiana get ahead of the game if the state wants to establish itself as a nationwide leader in AI education.

“AI is here,” he said. “It’s something that’s going to continue to develop, and having a framework for the state allows us to empower our people to take advantage of it.”

Some education experts, however, warn there has not been enough research on the technology’s long-term impact, and that there’s no evidence so far to suggest it improves student learning. Critics also point out that AI can sometimes give users

incorrect information.

At least 85% of teachers and 86% of students across the country said they used AI last school year according to a report released this month by the nonproﬁt Center for Democracy and Technology But students also reported that using AI in class made them feel less connected to their teachers, while educators voiced concerns that AI weakened their students’ critical thinking and research skills.

Louisiana introduced its ﬁrst set of AI standards for K-12 schools last fall. They included suggestions on how to incorporate AI into class instruction, how to train teachers to use and teach AI and ways to protect student data and privacy

The standards also noted challenges with AI in classrooms, such as an increased potential for plagiarism, and gave guidance on how to combat those problems.

Board member Preston Castille also asked Henderson’s team to look into developing school programs that teach students how to create AI platforms, saying that Louisiana “shouldn’t just be consumers of the technolo-

gy, but we should be designers, innovators.” Louisiana’s Education

Department has already rolled out the use of certain AI-powered learning tools,

including Khanmigo and Amira, in some schools to see how they work for students and educators, state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said. He added that the state wants to develop a system to vet new AI programs for districts. The work group will present its suggestions, which are also expected to include new policy recommendations for lawmakers, at the state board of education’s March 10 meeting next year

State education leaders didn’t “have the internal horsepower to move this initiative very far, very quickly,” state school board president Ronnie Morris said. With external help from the new committee, however, the state can ensure its students “are even more competitive and better prepared for careers and college.”

Courttothink we’retryingto step on their authorityorinfluence their decision-making,”said state Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia,who chairs the House committee that will hearthe election legislation.

What’s drivingthe session— and the uncertainty —isa legal challenge to the Voting RightsAct in aclosely watched case that the Supreme Court heard Wednesday That actopened thedoorto lawsuits that have long pushed Southern states like Louisiana todraw majority-minority voting districts. In the case, agroup of non-Black plaintiffs, Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill are asking the court to overturn thesection of the Voting Rights Act that led the Legislature last year to create the current congressional map thatadded asecond Black-majority seat

The mapelected four Republicans: U.S. Reps. Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise, Clay Higgins and Julia Letlow,and two Black Democrats: U.S. Reps. Troy Carter and Cleo Fields.

Afavorable ruling by the court for theplaintiffs, Landry andMurrill could invalidate that mapand requirelegislators to draw anew one

Anew map would allow Landry and the Republican-controlled Legislaturetoeliminate either Black-majority district— or both of them, amajor goal of conservatives and President Donald Trump. Theproblem that confrontsLouisiana legislators is that no one can be sure what theSupremeCourt will decide and when it will rule.

To addressthose issues, Landry and legislators aresaying they want to delay theelectionschedule

SENATE

Continued from page1A

have more than $2 million Veteranpoliticalpollster Jim Kitchenssaid the fundraising at this point in the raceisnoteworthy given that money is typically a crucial factor when two parties are vying for political control, like in swing state races.

“It’skind of amazing that this money is being spentin astate which is obviously going to elect aRepublican senator,” he said. “I don’t know of any viable Democrat who would get in and make this arace.”

No Democrat has yet ﬁled to run for the seat; party leaders have said they are still recruiting one. Democratic former Gov.John Bel Edwards announced this week that he would not join the race.

The dynamic in the Louisiana Senate contest reﬂects the battle inside the Republican Party,Kitchens said “It’saRepublican war,” he said.

Cassidy has $9.5 million in his campaign account as of Sept. 30, according to Federal Election Commission data.

So far this year he’searned about $2.6million in contributions, and he’scollected about $1.3 million from other political fundraising committees. That includes $1.75 million he raised in

Gov. Jeff Landry, center,leavesthe Supreme CourtonWednesdayafter the courtheard

forcongressional races to ensure that candidates qualify for their elections only after anew map is in place.Inother words, they don’t wantcandidates to qualify for congressional racesunder onemap and then discover that they have to qualify under adifferentmap That would force thecandidates to qualify again and throw thenew election schedule out of whack.

“It’skind of amazing that this money is being spent in astate which is obviously going to elect aRepublican senator.I don’tknow of anyviable Democrat whowouldget in and makethis arace.”

JIMKITCHENS political pollster

July,August and September alone, aﬁgure hiscampaign announced in anewsrelease this week.

Contributorshailfrom every Louisiana parish, according to the campaign.

“Senator Cassidy continuestodominatethisrace, outraisingeveryopponent combined while buildingunprecedented supportacross all 64 parishes,” Cassidy campaignmanager Katie Larkin said in astatement.

State Sen.Blake Miguezis second to Cassidy in terms of money in the bank, with $2.5 millioninhis campaign account.

Miguez has drummedup over $2 million in contributions so far this year.Healso bolsteredhis campaign with a$1million personal loan.

In asocial media post this week announcing the fundraisingﬁgures,Miguezsaid it represents “real Louisiana momentum powered by patriotswho believe in faith, family,and freedom.”

His campaign said he’sgottendonations from “nearly 6,000 Louisianians, includ-

Under the currentschedule adopted by legislatorsand Landry lastyear,congressionalcandidates willqualify forclosedprimary federalelectionsinmid-January, and then each party’sprimary will be held in April.

If no candidate in either party primary wins more than 50% of thevote, thetop twoﬁnishersof that party will advance to aclosed

ing from all 64 parishes.”

On Thursday,Miguez in a statement bashed Cassidy, saying that “D.C. is ﬂoating Bill Cassidy’scampaign.”

“He might as well stay in D.C. once we retire him for good,” he added.

Fleming’scampaign war chestisclose to Miguez, with $2.1 million stocked up as of September Flemingsofar thisyear has earned about $480,000 in campaign contributions, buttressed by $2 millionin personal loans.

“I’vegot plentyofmoney to run on,” he said Thursday

He addedthat, “Logistically we’re doing very well.”

“We’vegot over 10,000 signsacrossthe state,” Fleming said. “We’re well organized. We have over 200 volunteers.”

Fundraising can be important, but money isn’tthe only thing thatmatters in acampaign, Kitchens said.

Thesedays, it probably costs about $4 million to run an adequate statewide campaign in Louisiana, he said And, in aSenate race where multiple candidates are likelytoclear that threshold, acandidate’sabilityto connect with voters takes precedence, he said.

“It comes to point where money getsdiminishing returns,”Kitchens said.

“I think this comesdown to amessaging campaign andwherethe votersare —and particularly where the voters areonDonald Trump,”hesaid.

mates of key dates depending on when her office receives anew map approved by the Legislature andsignedinto lawbythe governor

If it’sbyDec. 20, then they can followthe currentqualifying and elections schedule.

If it’sbetween Dec. 20 and Feb. 1, legislators could still have the closed party primaries but would have to push back the ﬁrst primary to May and the second one to June.

If it’sbetween Feb. 1and Feb. 20, legislators could hold only one party primary election, meaning the winner would need only aplurality in thatprimary to advance to the November general election. If herofficereceivesthe final map afterFeb. 20,legislators would have to return to the open or “jungle” primary system that eliminates the party primaries. Nancy Landry emphasizedthat herofﬁce is short-staffednow because of adecision by Murrill to cancel her outside attorneys,so she said it’s possible thatfurther research could change those dates somewhat.

the

partyrunoff in May. Thewinners of those secondparty primaries will face offina general election in November that could include nopartycandidates as well. But Secretary of State Nancy Landryhas advised lawmakers that federal and state laws limit thepossible future dates forcandidatequalifying and the elections. She hasmadepreliminary esti-

LouisianaPublic Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta is also running, but he hasn’t registered with theFederal Election Commission.

Asked for comment Thursday about his campaign,Skrmetta saidina textmessagethat,“all ﬁlings arehandled by the committee accountant.” He didn’trespond to a question aboutwhenhean-

There’sanother uncertainty: if legislators change the election schedule, would that apply only to the congressional elections or also to nextyear’sSenaterace, in which Sen. Bill Cassidy is facing atough reelection challenge? Henry,who is supporting Cassidy, believes the changes would apply to both, which could help Cassidy’s chances.

Many politicalobserversbelieve thatCassidy faces an extremely difﬁcult path under aclosed party primary system

The special session must end by Nov.13, but by limiting it to asingle item,lawmakers hope to ﬁnish much earlier

Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

ticipatesregisteringwith the FEC.

Sammy Wyatt, achief complianceofficer at LSU Health Shreveport, has about$7,000 in his campaign account.

He’sraised $94,000 in contributions this year and lent himself $120,000.

St. TammanyParish Council memberKathy Seiden entered the race earlier this month. While she registered with the FEC on Oct. 1, her campaign fundraising data is not yet publicly available. U.S. Rep.Julia Letlow R-Baton Rouge, who is rumored to be considering a Senate run, has $2.1 million in her House campaign account.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse pfeil@theadvocate.com.

Moreno plans job search for CAO

Co-chairs named to committee leading effort

down from the role in August after a seven-year stint to take over as chief of staff at the Audubon Nature Institute.

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena

Aimee Quirk will serve as co-chairs of the search committee, according to a news release.

Selecting a CAO is among the more consequential decisions a new mayor makes.

Moreno is conducting a national search for a chief administrative ofﬁcer, announcing Thursday that she has selected two allies to lead the search effort for a top deputy to handle the day-to-day work of running City Hall. Democratic state Sen. Jimmy Harris, D-New Orleans, and Ochsner Health executive

The position is tasked under New Orleans’ Home Rule Charter with supervising department heads,

managing the budget and representing the administration before the City Council.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell received more than 100 applications in her own search for a CAO and eventually hired Gilbert Montaño, a former high-ranking ofﬁcial from Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the position. Montaño stepped

Moreno’s transition team posted the job application on its website Thursday and said it will soon appear on local and national job boards. Minimum qualifications include 15 years of senior leadership experience and “familiarity with New Orleans’ and Louisiana’s civic, cultural and government landscape” is preferred “Strong leadership in this posi-

tion is essential to achieving the operational excellence that will deﬁne my administration,” Moreno said in the news release. “I want someone tough, experienced, and respected a leader who can help drive accountability and results.”

The CAO will be responsible for delivering “Super Bowl-level services to every neighborhood every day,” Harris said in the news release, echoing a campaign promise from Moreno to improve New

‘We had to go on ’

Louisiana’s largest Hispanic festival carries on as others cancel

BY DESIREE STENNETT Staff writer

At Louisiana’s largest Hispanic festival, the smell of grilled meat wafted on a midday breeze, whipping the ﬂags from more than a half dozen Latin American countries and carrying the sounds of playing children. But the crowds that normally pack into Lafreniere Park in Metairie for Que Pasa Fest were thinner this year, according to organizers, who had considered canceling.

The Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration — including arrests at new locations like schools and courthouses — have led to canceled events across the U.S. this year The city of Kenner, which has the biggest Hispanic population in the state, canceled its annual Hispanic Heritage Festival this summer, three months before

ä See FESTIVAL, page 2B

The Que Pasa Fest launched in 2011 with less than 1,000 visitors, and the two-day festival has steadily grown to over 16,000 attendees last year. This year’s crowd shrank by about 6,000 guests. On Saturday, only about 3,500 people showed up. After the first night went off without incident, the Sunday crowd doubled to about 7,000.

River work

nished in 12 days

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed the underwater sill built to prevent salt water from moving up the Mississippi River and threatening New Orleans’ water supply The Corps built the sill in 12 days and finished construction on Oct. 10, according to Corps spokesperson Matt Roe. The sill forms a continuous barrier across the river near Myrtle Grove in Plaquemines Parish, 55 feet below the water’s surface. The Corps expects it will successfully keep salt water from reaching the drinking water intakes upriver

The saltwater wedge, as the Corps calls it, forms when the river is low, as it currently is. That’s thanks to a persistent drought across the Mississippi Valley that is projected to continue through at least the next month.

“We continue to work closely with our state and local partners while measuring and calculating the location of the toe of the saltwater wedge and forecast river conditions,” Roe said.

The Corps takes measures to prevent the salt water from moving

See SILL, page 3B

Neighbors described Sept. 27 shooting as random attack

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

The suspect in a fatal shooting last month near Bayou St. John is incompetent to proceed with the murder case against him and will be sent to a state hospital for treatment, a judge ruled Thursday Enrique Garcia, 26, faces counts of second-degree murder and simple burglary Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge Juana Lombard said a team of experts found that Garcia “does not show adequate factual or rational understandings of the proceedings against him and they do not believe he has the ability to assist in his defense.” Garcia appeared to be “in an

STAFF PHOTOS By JOHN MCCUSKER

The Que Pasa Fest at Lafreniere Park in Metairie celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month on Sunday.

Flags fly at the Que Pasa Fest at Lafreniere Park in Metairie at the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.

The Fermin Ceballos Meregue 4 perform at the Que Pasa Fest at Lafreniere Park in Metairie celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month on Sunday.

Last defendantsentenced in killingatRaising Cane’s

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

Almost nineand ahalf years after Taylor Friloux was stabbed to death during the robbery of aKenner Raising Cane’swhere she worked as amanager,a Jefferson Parishjudge sentencedthe fourth and final defendant arrested in connection with her slaying Ariana Runner,31, was sentenced to ﬁve years in prison for conspiracytocommit armed robbery and obstruction of justice in amurder investigationfollowing an emotionalhearing Thursday morning.

Runner,who will receive credit for the time she served in jail after her arrest, could be released as early as Thursday,according to her attorney,Warren Belﬁeld III.

Friloux’srelatives were both shocked and at peace

with the sentence. Her godmother,Suzi Guerin, angrilyimploredJefferson Parish District Court Judge Lee Faulkner to return Runner to confinement. Runner had been free on ankle monitoring since 2021 After the hearing, JamieReavis, Friloux’smother,still seemedstunnedbut said she was OK with Runner’ssentence. “There is no apology,nosentence, no amount oftime thatwillevermake thisright,”Reavis told Runner during the hearing. “Taylor deservedsomuch more than what you and otherstookfrom her.” Restaurant robbery Runner’ssentencing comesabout amonthaf-

ter Joshua Every avoided trial by pleading guilty to ﬁrst-degree murder, armed robbery andother charges in thecase. He was sentenced to life in prison. Every, 32, was the reported mastermind of the holdup, according to Kenner police. He and codefendant Gregory Donald Jr 27, both formerRaising Cane’semployees, ambushed workers as they took outthe trash at the restaurant after closing. Every stabbed Friloux and held her at knifepoint while forcing hertoretrieve cashfrom the restaurant’ssafe, authorities said. Despite receiving the money,authorities say Every viciously knifed Friloux in her neck, head and chest before

Mangets57years for shooting estrangedwife

BY CHAD CALDER Staff writer

ASlidell manconvicted in August of ambushing his estranged wife in 2022 and shooting her four times was sentenced Wednesday to 57 years in prison, northshore District AttorneyCollinSims said in anews release.

Calvin U. Brown, 47, was found guilty on Aug. 21 following afour-day trial before 23rd Judicial District Court Judge Judge Richard Swartz of attempted second degree murder,attempted simple burglary and stalking.

Brown shot his estranged wife four times while she sat in her vehicle on aSlidell street in February 2022. The couple’s 7-year-old sonwitnessed the attack.

The victim was able to identify her husband as her attacker, and surveillance footage and forensic evidence,including phone recordsand health data from the defendant’sApple watch, connected Brown to the crime.

He had called the victim over 50 times before the shootingand was caughton surveillance camera breaking into her apartment. At the sentencing hearing, thevictimand theson both made statements before sentencing, Sims’ofﬁce said The victim describedthe hurt she feels knowing their son will grow up without a father but that she will make certain “not to raisehim to puthis hands on awoman.”

The child, now 10 years old, saidheoften feelssad and wantshis father to explain “why you did this to us,” Sims’ ofﬁce said. Swartz imposed the maximum penalty on each of the charges: 50 years in prison for the attempted murder, six years for the attempted burglary and one year for the stalking. He then ordered thethree sentencestorun consecutive to each other, meaning Brown will serve a 57-year prison term.

EmailChad Calder at ccalder@theadvocate com.

Police probefatal shooting

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

Authorities continued investigating ashooting that claimed the life of an 18-yearold man near aSlidellpark Wednesday evening and have identified aperson of interest, Slidell police said. The St. Tammany ParishCoroner’s Office identified the victim Thursdayas Chance’lor Parker,18, of Lacombe. The Coroner’sOffice said the cause of death was gunshot wounds

Slidell police spokesperson Daniel Seuzeneau said there is aperson of interest but that the department is not ready to publicly identify him. Few other details were publicly available aboutthe deadly shooting, and police have urged anyone with information to call them. Slidell policeresponded to

CAO

Continued from page1B

Orleans’ troubled infrastructure at apace akin to the blitz of work that engulfed the city’sdowntown before the big game. Moreno began her mayoral planning almost immediately after winning Saturday’sprimary election, meeting with power brokers, forminga transition team and offering near-daily updates abouther efforts. On Wednesday,she named the four co-chairs that will lead her transition and oversee committees tasked with hiring staff and putting together plans for accomplish-

911 reports of gunshots at an area near Possum Hollow Park,which is in the 800 block of CousinStreet,shortly after 5p.m. Wednesday.When they arrived, they found a man in theparking lot suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to Slidell police.

Paramedics also arrived and beganlifesaving efforts before thevictim was brought to ahospital. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Police said Thursday the victim was 18.

Anyone with informationis asked to call the Slidell Police Department at (985) 643-3131 or email PIO@slidellpd.com

People with informationcan also call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. Crimestoppers callers can remain anonymous and could be eligible for acash reward.

ing her policy goals. Transition co-chair Cedric Richmond, aformer congressman andsenioradviser to President Joe Biden, will provide oversight of the CAO search committee, according to the news release. Moreno’s selections tolead theCAO search committee each have extensiveexperience in the publicand private sectors. Harris, apersonal injury attorney and former aide to Richmond, has represented New Orleans in the state Legislature since 2016 —ﬁrst as arepresentative and now as asenator —and has emerged as oneofNew Orleans’ most effective advocates in Baton Rouge. Quirk is senior vice presi-

ﬂeeing the scene. Runner, Every,Donald and their getaway driver,Mark Crocklen Jr., 33,were all arrested within days of the murder.

Runner was identiﬁedasa suspect becauseshe helped recruitfor the scheme,accordingtoKennerpolice. Everyneeded another accompliceand agetaway vehicle after hisfirst choice didn’t workout,authorities said. Runner suggested her coworker,Donald, police said. Thecrew endedupusing avehicle that belongedto themother of Donald’sgirlfriend, authorities said.

After thehomicide, police alleged that Runner deleted textmessages between herself, Donald and Everyinan efforttoconceal her partin the crime.

Silenceand lies

Runner agreed early on to cooperate with prosecutors,

FESTIVAL

Continuedfrom page 1B

the event

“Then we started hearing from the communityafter Kenner’s festival was canceled that we had to go on,” festival co-founder Brenda Melara said.

Que Pasa Fest launchedin 2011 with less than 1,000 visitors, and the two-day festival hassteadily grown to over 16,000 attendees last year

But this year’scrowd shrankbyabout 6,000 guests, Melara said. On Saturday, only about3,500 people showed up. But after the ﬁrst night went off without incident, the Sundaycrowd doubled to about 7,000.

With minimallaw enforcement presence, ahandful of OrleansParish Sheriff’s Ofﬁcepatrolcarsprovided security from outside the festival gates.

“From our perspective, we feel it was asuccess,” Melara said.“We didfeelthat anxietyfor our attendees becausewedidn’tknow what could happen.”

‘The politicalclimate’

Jaime Guzman and his family have been flipping Salvadoran pupusas —thick, round ﬂatbreads stuffed with cheese and meat —onthe grill at QuePasa Fest well before their restaurant opened in Kenner four years ago.

The festival helped the community discover their food and catapulted Las Cabañasinto oneofthe most popular vendors that festivalgoersexpect to see each year

But for the firsttime in more thana decade, Guzman saidheconsidered skipping it.

“Mydecision-making this year,itwas iffy,especially because of thepolitical climate,” Guzman saidas people milled past his booth on Sunday.“We weremore concerned about our community as awhole,but we still decided to makeitthis year and see how it went.”

Guzman saidhebacked out of the Kenner festival before it was ofﬁcially canceled. Cityofﬁcials said they struggled to get sponsors, vendors andperformers on board this year

Ahandfulsponsors forQue Pasa Fest also refusedtopar-

dent and chief corporatedevelopment ofﬁcer at Ochsner Health andthe CEO of OchsnerVentures, the system’s investment arm. She serves on the board of GNO, Inc. and previously worked as an economic development adviser to Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Before that, she wasa partner at Jones Walker.(Moreno tapped anotherOchsnerexecutive and Landrieu alum, Emily Arata, to serve as a transition co-chair.)

In the days ahead, Moreno is expected to announceseveral other transition committees focused on priorities such as economic development and public safety,according to the news release. Moreno will have manypositions to ﬁll after her inaugu-

herattorneysaid. She was arrested in July 2016 and pleaded guilty as charged Sept.7,2018. Buther sentencing was delayeduntil after thecompletion of her co-defendants’ cases.

Gregory and Crocklen have already pleaded guilty to manslaughter, armed robbery andother charges. Donald was sentenced to 89 yearsinprison while Crocklen was sentenced to 40 years.

On Thursday, Reavis directly addressed Runner, pouring out the pain and loss left the wake of her daughter’smurder.Reavis told Runner that while she may nothavebeen wielding the knife,her choices directly contributedtoFriloux’s death.

“You chose silence and liesover humanity,” Reavis said. “That’swhat hurts the most. Youcould have done something to stop this, but

you didn’t.”

During the past nine years, Guerin said their family went through hell as they sufferedthe loss of other family members, jobs, homes and their sense of peace and security while awaiting justice. That wait was much longer than the ﬁve yearsRunnerspent in jail, she noted.

“Nothing will bring my daughter home, and Idon’t feelthat Ariana should be able to go home, either,” Guerin said.

Runner did offer her apologiestoFriloux’s family telling them that she is no longerthe person shewas at 21.

“The grief, the shame, the guilt that Icarry from being tied to this case haunts me everyday, more than youcan ever know,” Runner said.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate.com

ticipate this year,without explanation, Melara said.

Diana Tercero has run Nicaraguancatering company Tercero’sKitchen for 17 years andhas participated in Que PasaFest for more than adecade. She knew the crowdswould shrink because she’sheard the worries of the community.But she hoped people would feel safe enough to celebrate the many cultures represented in the region, from Nicaragua to Honduras to Peru.

“WebelievethatMetairie is different,”she said adding that immigrants havealways felt morewelcome there than otherpartsofthe state and nation. “Because of that, we were in.” She and Guzman said that despite the smaller crowd, theystill brought in steady business.

Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said events like Que Pasa Fest and other celebrationsshowcase“avibrant multicultural heritage” and fuel the economy

“I am proud of the fact that Jefferson Parishisthe most diverse parish in the state of

ration on Jan.12. On Wednesday, she said she’ll ask all non-civil serviceemployees at City Hall to reapply for their positions. That includes department headsand other employees appointed by the mayor.Morenosaidthat’stypical for new administrations

Moreno said her transition team is evaluating the best way to organize theMayor’s Office and didn’trule out a return to asystemofdeputy mayors —where multiple high-level officials oversee various city priorities and departments —that was used by Landrieu but done away withbyCantrell.

Moreno also said she’s communicated withCantrell sincewinning theelection, and that Cantrell selected

Louisiana,” shesaid. “Our local festivals and small businesses reﬂect the diversity of our residents, and Ithink that is whathas helped us remain strong from an economic perspective. We are rich in culture and history with a populationthat is inviting, resilient andcreative.”

Lookingahead

As thenationalHispanic Heritage Month wraps up this week, organizers forthe West Bank Hispanic Heritage Festival at theUniversityofHolyCross areoptimistic about the crowd that could turn outSaturday

In astatement, theorganizing committee said they were able to secure enough sponsors and that thevendor and entertainment slots had been soldout formonths.

“It is importantfor us to continue the West Bank Hispanic Heritage Festival despite the political climate, because it celebrates the vibrant cultural traditions and contributions of Hispanic communitiesonthe West Bank, offering asafe and welcoming space forlearn-

Chief Administrative Ofﬁce Joe Threat to serve as her point person in thetransition MorenosaidCantrelltoldher to expect a“seriesofreports” from the administration.

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ing and connection,” the organizing committee said. Yolanda Montoya, who operates asmallbusiness calledAccesorios Yolis that sells accessories handmade in Mexico, saidthe festival is achancetoshare apart of herculture.

“Everything Ishare reﬂectsthe color, warmth and traditions of Mexico,” she said. “... For me, being part of the West Bank Hispanic HeritageFestivalisa way to honor my roots, my family,and our culture —and to proudlyshare alittlebit of Mexico with everyone who visits.”

Melara saidthe organizing team forQue Pasa Fest is now looking to nextyearas they hope to make thefestivalevenbiggertocelebrate their quinceañera, commemorating 15 years.

“The anxiety maycontinue,” she said. “If thingsare still the waythat they are or worse, we’ll have to take astep back andsee where to go,but we will still continue to plan for it because we can’tplan afestival this big overnight.”

Friloux Runner

STAFFPHOTOSByJOHN McCUSKER

Attendees explore the QuePasa FestatLafreniere Park in Metairiecelebrating Hispanic HeritageMonth on Sunday

SLIDELL

Patricia Garcia cookswith flairatthe Que Pasa Festat Lafreniere Park in Metairie celebrating Hispanic HeritageMonth on Sunday

Suspectidentifiedin Marreropolicechase

Floridaman faces multiplecharges afterarrest

BY MICHELLEHUNTER Staff writer

The driver accusedof ramming aJefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce detective during apursuit in Marrero on Wednesday has beenidentiﬁed as aFlorida man who led deputies on asimilar chase in Harvey 10 years ago before he was convicted in arashof smash-and-grabburglaries and bank frauds.

Markeivis Lethario Walker,35, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida,was arrested and bookedwith aggravated flight from an officer,hitand-run driving and possession of stolen property, according to Sgt. Brandon Veal, spokespersonfor the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

Walker was also booked Wednesday with conspiracy to commit simple burglary,conspiracy to commit identity theft, conspiracy to commit theft and conspiracy to commitbank fraud.

Gunfire on Barataria

An unidentified deputy fired three shots at Walker after authorities said he smashed into aSheriff’s Office vehicle that had boxed him in during atraffic stop on Barataria Boulevard

SUSPECT

Continued from page1B

active crisis state” when he was evaluated days afterhis arrest, Lombard said, citing areport. According to apolice afﬁdavit,Garciastole agun from the house of acousin and then shot Eliot Brown, acarpenter and artist, at his doorstep on Dumaine Street about 8a.m. Sept 27, in what neighbors describedasarandom attack. The assailant had knocked on other doors in the area before the shooting, neighbors said.

SILL

Continued from page1B

upriver becauseNew Orleans and surrounding communities get their drinking water from the river.Municipal water systems are notequipped to desalinate water,and salt water can corrodepipes andleach lead and otherchemicals into the city’sdrinking water.The Corps saiditdoes not have aﬁnal cost for the construction of the sill because they may have to continue dredging sedimentto maintain it overthe next several weeks.

The salt water was pushed downriver afew miles due to heavy rain across the Mississippi Valley in the last week, and another small bump in the river’sﬂow is projectedin the next weekdue to heavy rain in the Ohio River Valley

But Roe noted that the

near theWest Bank Expressway just before 1p.m.

Detectives had been conducting surveillance on Walker’svehicle for the past fewdaysaspart of an investigationintoburglaries, theftsand identity thefts that have been reported in the New Orleans metropolitan area, accordingtoVeal.

No onewas injuredby the gunﬁre.After ramming the Sheriff’s Officevehicle, Walker drove south on Barataria in the northbound lanes, leadingofficerson achasefor abouta mile, according to authorities. Walker was arrested after the car was stopped at Barataria and Lapalco boulevards

Buthis passenger, astillunidentified man, slipped intothe nearby Belle Terre neighborhood. He escaped despite alarge search that included the Sheriff’sOfﬁce helicopter, drones and K-9 ofﬁcers.

TheSheriff’s Office at ﬁrst reportedthat awoman hadalsobeen detained. But onlyWalker and theunnamed passenger were in thevehicle, accordingto Veal.

Walkerwas being held Thursday at theJefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna.Nobail information was immediately available. He was also booked with parole violation Walker’sconspiracy

Aaron Zagory,apublic defender,requested the competency evaluation for Garcia. Aprosecutor with District Attorney Jason Williams’ofﬁce didnot object. Zagory told Lombard on Thursday that he agreed with the evaluation. According to police, video footage captured Garcia as he ran around the corner to his home on Hagan Street after theshooting, grabbed abicycle and sped off. Brown’swife called 911 around the same time, saying her husband told her “it was their neighbor’skid” who had shothim. Brown died at ahospital. In January 2022, Garcia

river is expected to continue to drop over the next month, from itscurrent flow of 200,000 cubic feet per second down to 160,000 cubic feet per second. That will allow saltwater to reachthe sill around the end of October.

Thecurrent forecast doesn’tcall for the silltobe overtopped, or for theCorps to have to build thesill higher,asithad to in2023 when the salt wedge nearly reached NewOrleans’water intakes.

TheMississippi is about threefeetabove sealevel at the Carrolltongauge in New Orleansand is projected to stay at about thatheight for the next month.

The Corps will keep an eye on thewedgeuntil the river flows at 400,000 cubicfeet per second, enough flow to flush the salt water back out into the Gulf and wash away the underwater sill.

This year marks the fourthconsecutiveyear that the Corps has hadto

charges are linked to a Sept.24vehicle burglary at Elmwood Shopping Center, according to authorities. A woman reported that someone smashed awindow on hercar andstole herpurse andcreditcards while she was inside abusiness in the 1200 block of SouthClearview Parkway Daycareand gymlots

The burglary and identity theft charges mirror acase Walker faced in 2015 when JeffersonParishdetectives say he and afour-person crew from Florida targeted daycareand gym parking lots forsmash-and-grab burglaries.

The thieves were looking for victimswho likely left wallets or purses behind, making off with checkbooks and debit cards, authoritiessaid. They’d then loot bank accounts or tryto cash stolen checks.

Walker was arrested after he andhis co-defendants led JeffersonParish deputiesona high-speed chase that ended in acrash in the 2500 block of Manhattan Boulevard.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to 12 counts of bank fraud, 13 counts of simple burglary,two counts of identity theft and one count of resisting an ofﬁcer in JeffersonParishdistrict court. He was out on parole when arrested this week.

allegedly confessed to killing his stepfather inside a houseonthe same block of Hagan Street. Agrand jury chargedhim with murder, but Williams’ ofﬁce dropped the case in 2023. Williams told WVUE-TVthe evidence pointedtoself-defense.

Friends saidBrown and his wife moved south from New England afterHurricane Katrina to work in food kitchens along the Gulf Coast. They bought their house near thebayou in 2009.

Brown’sart began appearing anonymously alongthe bayou, in playfulimages of alligators on signs and plaques.

build the sill in the river to prevent salt water from affecting municipaldrinking water supplies.Before 2022, it had only builtthe sill three times, in 2012, 1992, and 1988.

Climate change is projectedtoincreaseextreme weather events, raising the likelihood of bothsevere droughtsand ﬂoods, across the Mississippi River’s drainage basin, which extendsacrossall or partsof 31 states andtwo Canadian provinces.

Downriver communities in lower Plaquemines Parish are on thefront line of anyissues with salt water

The Corps barged in suppliestoparts of theparish due to issueswith salt waterin2023, and the parish haspreparedthisyear by procuring reverse osmosis ﬁltration machines, which can ﬁlter saltfrom water

Email Alex Lubben at alex.lubben@theadvocate. com.

Holmes, Gilda Scales,Mary Adams, Gaynell

Young,Anne Anderson, Darryl Young, John Anderson Jr., Thomas River Parish Ard, Lionel AugustineIII, Clarence Millet-Guidry Beck,Henry Englade, Peggy Chancellor,Ada Robottom Clay,Marion Holmes, Leola Denson, Drazell St Tammany Edwards, Willie EJ Fielding Eidson, John Englade, Peggy Beck,Henry Getridge,Elbert Honaker Hill, Brenda Eidson, John Holmes, Gilda West Bank Holmes, Leola DavisMortuary Joshua,Olivia Adams, Gaynell Lang, Magnolia Chancellor,Ada Marrero,Betty Denson, Drazell Orellana,Ramona Marrero, Betty Patmas, Tobie Robinson FH Scales,Mary Smith,Debra Anderson Jr., Thomas Smith,Myrtle Obituaries Young,Anne Adams, Gaynell MarieDarensburg

Young, John EJefferson Garden of Memories

Shebegan her teaching career at Mc‐Donogh #32Elementary beforetransitioning into her belovedroleasa li‐brarian.Eveninretirement, her love foreducation con‐tinuedasanadjunct librar‐ian at DelgadoCommunity College’s Westbank Cam‐pus.Devoted wife of Brian Adams,Sr. forover29 years.Lovingmotherof Faith Y. Adams, LoriElle I. Adams,Brian M. Adams, Jr.,and Shanté M. Adams. Proud grandmotherofZay‐den M. Adams. Daughter of the late BurnellDarens‐burg, Jr., andEthel Ricard Granddaughter of thelate Burnell “Pete” W. Darens‐burg, Sr Virginia Mitchell Frances andEdwardRi‐card, Sr.SisterofTroySr., Tyrone, Percy, Tannard, Sr Jarvis, andMarkDarens‐burg, AaronRicard, Ranell Jones,VeronicaJean, and the late BurnellW.Darens‐burg, III, andEricRicard. Gaynell is also survived by a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws,other relatives, and dear friends. Relatives and friendsare invitedalso pastors,ofﬁcers,and members of Life Center Cathedral,Empowerment Church,Mt. CalvaryInter‐nationalWorship Center, Jesus is Lord,Mt. Sinai Baptist Church,and all neighboring churches are invited to attend theCele‐bration of Life at Life Cen‐ter Cathedral, 2100 Ames Blvd.,Marrero,LA, on Sat‐urday,October 18, 2025,

byDavis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St., Gretna,LA. Toviewand sign theguest‐book,pleasegotowww davismortuaryservice.com. Face masksare recom‐mended.

Orellana,Ramona Anderson,DarrylGerard

Richardson FH Clay,Marion Hill, Brenda NewOrleans

Boyd Family

AugustineIII, Clarence Lang, Magnolia Charbonnet Anderson, Darryl Ard, Lionel Edwards, Willie DW Rhodes

Joshua,Olivia Smith,Debra

GaynellMarie Darens‐burgAdams,M.Ed.,en‐tered into eternalrestat her residenceonSunday, October 5, 2025, at theage of59. Shewas anativeof New Orleans, LA,and ares‐ident of Marrero, LA, Gaynell wasa proudgrad‐uateofL.B.LandrySr. High School,where sheexcelled academicallyand wasac‐tivelyinvolvedinvarious leadershiproles,including JROTC,the HonorRoll, Stu‐dentCounsel,Varsity Prep QuizBowl, HonorSociety Top 10 Graduatesand servedasClass Vice Presi‐dent. Shewentontoearna BachelorofScience in Ele‐mentary Educationfrom Our Lady of Holy CrossCol‐legein1990 andlater re‐ceiveda Master of Science inEducation—Curriculum, Instruction, andAssess‐ment—fromWaldenUni‐

Senior ChiefPetty Ofﬁ‐cer Darryl Gerard Ander‐son,USN (Ret.),transi‐tionedonSeptember 30, 2025, at MethodistNorth HospitalinMemphis,Ten‐nessee, at theage of 72 Darrylwas born on March 13, 1953, in NewOrleans LA, to Willie Anderson Sr and Willie LeeBethley An‐derson. He wasthe thirdof six children.Heproudly servedhis countryinthe UnitedStatesNavy, retiring with theesteemed rank of

4B ✦ Friday, October 17, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune Senior ChiefPetty Ofﬁcer. A devotedfamilyman,Dar‐ryl is survived by hisloving children, TanyaMoret,Ja‐maisBartonSr.,and Kesha Anderson. He also leaves behindhis brothers, Jerome, Conrad,and Kevin Anderson, andhis sisterin-law, Sheila Anderson His memory will be cher‐ished by hisninegrand‐children, twogreat-grand‐children, anda host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Family and friends areinvited to the Celebration of Life Service honoringthe life of Darryl GerardAndersonin The Chapelofthe Rosesat CharbonnetLabat Glapion Funeral Home,1615St. PhilipStreet,New Orleans, LAonSaturday, October 18, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. Visi‐tationat9:00am. Inter‐ment- Mt Olivet Cemetery 4000 Norman MayerAve., New Orleans, LA.Please signthe online guestbook atwww.charbonnetfuner alhome.com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion, Directors (504) 581-4411.

Thomas PeterAnderson, Jr.,entered eternalreston Saturday, October4,2025 atBridgepoint Continuing CareHospital. He was76, a nativeofNew Orleans, LA and dedicatedover 40 years of servicetothe City ofNew Orleans, including Parkway,the NewOrleans PoliceDepartment, andIm‐mobilization, retiring in 2005. He will be remem‐bered forhis joking spirit warmheart,and deep love for familyand friends. He issurvivedbyhis wife Beu‐lah S. Anderson;daughter Eboni Anderson-Flood (Reggie);grandsonWynn S.Williams, Jr.; sister-inlaw Betty McDaniels; aunt Ethel Howard of Atlanta, GA; nieces KimGarnett, and Ashley GarnettRenard (Reginald), KarenLewis (Brian),LynnLastie, Sonja Melancon, andSandra Lastie; nephewsKeith Gar‐nett, BrianGarnett,Jimmie Lee “Man”Smith III, Alton Melancon, WarnellBijou TroyLastie, andByran Mc‐Daniels;and ahostof other relativesand friends. Hewas preceded in death byhis sonTerrencePeter Anderson, parentsThomas and ElizabethAnderson, Sr.,sisterConnieGarnett, brother RichardAnderson, brothers-in-law Bradley Garnett,JimmieLee Smith, Jr. andClifford Bijou, and sisters-in-lawMarva “Babee” Patterson and SandraSmith.Relatives and friendsofthe family alsoPastors,Ofﬁcers,Dea‐cons, Elders andmembers ofCityChurch of NewOr‐leans,along with thefac‐ultyand staff of Benjamin FranklinHighSchool,are invited to attend aCelebra‐tionofLifeonFriday, Octo‐ber 17, 2025, at St.Maria Goretti Catholic Church 7300 CrowderBlvd.,New Orleans,LA70127. Visita‐tionwillbegin at 10:00 a.m., followed by the Fu‐neral Serviceat11:00 a.m EntombmentMt. Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Norman Mayer Ave.,New Orleans. Funeral planning entrusted toRobinsonFamilyFuneral Home, 9611LA-23, Belle Chasse LA 70037,(504) 2082119. Foronlinecondo‐lences, please visitwww robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Lionel KennethArd tran‐sitionedpeacefullytoeter‐nal life on Saturday,Octo‐ber 11, 2025. He wasborn onSeptember 2, 1950in New Orleans, LA to thelate James AlexanderArd,Sr. and EthelJohnson Ard. Li‐onelwas marriedtohis ﬁrstwife, thelateCarolyn Wallace Ardand they sharedtwo children,the lateKimberlyMichelle Ard and Dana Nicole Ard. He waslater marriedtothe

late LindaJ.Ard andthey shareda son, Keven Joseph, Sr.Lionelisalso precededindeath by his older brothers,Kermit Shawand JamesA.Ard,Jr. (thelateLynn G. Ard), grandparents, Mr.& Mrs. ChaneyArd andRev.& Mrs.JosephJohnson,Sr. Li‐onelislovinglysurvivedby his son, KevinJoseph, Sr his grandsons, Kevin Joseph, Jr.and Brandon Lee Joseph;sister, Patricia Ard Mitchell (Theodore); brother,HoraceG.Ard (Lola H. Ard);goddaugh‐ters, YolandaArd Gordon (Greg), and KoreaMathieu, and ahostofrelatives and friends.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe FuneralService at RevelationBaptist Church, 2040 Mazant St New Or‐leans,LAonSaturday, Oc‐tober 18, 2025 at 10:00a.m Visitationat9:00am. Inter‐ment: Providence Memor‐ial Park,8200 AirlineDrive, Metairie, LA.Pleasesign the online guestbook at www.charbonnetfuneralho me.com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504) 581-4411.

AugustineIII, Clarence 'Augie'

Clarence “Augie”Augus‐tine, III transitioned to eternal rest on Friday,Sep‐tember19, 2025, at theage of69. Clarence wasbornat Charity Hospital on Octo‐ber 4, 1955, to thelate Clarenceand ArdisAugus‐tine, Jr.A graduate of Mc‐Donogh 35,class of 1973 and amemberofPhi Mu Alpha Fraternity.Beloved husband of Marcelle Au‐gustine;fatherofDesmond Michael andAshleyNicole Augustine.Brother of Linda Kerneyand ShataraAugus‐tine. Also survived by a hostofnieces, nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. He waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis above-named parents; one sister, Lorraine Augustine Massey; twobrothers, Isa‐iah Kerney andBarry Au‐gustine.Relatives and friends,members of Israel Baptist Church,and Wat‐son Memorial Teaching Ministriesare invitedtoat‐tendthe FuneralService on Saturday, October18, 2025, for 10:00a.m.atWatson MemorialTeachingMin‐istries,4400 St.Charles Av‐enue,New Orleans, LA.Vis‐itation will beginat9:00 a.m.MinisterRamon Sam, ofﬁciating. Bishop Thomas B.Watsonhostpastor. In‐terment will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery 4000 Norman MayerAve., New Orleans, LA 70122 Guestbook Online:www anewtraditionbegins.com (504) 282-0600. DonavinD Boydand Linear Brooks BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors

I, HenryFrederickBeck died from my earthly body on October14, 2025,and am now in the arms of my Lord and SaviorJesus Christ. Iwas borninNew Orleans,Louisiana,on August 6, 1942,asthe only child of Olga Niemeyer Beck and Edwin F. Beck. I was the husband of the love of my life, Daisy Lowe Beck and father of my wonderful childrenErik FrancisBeck, Amy Beck Miller, and Alexander Frederick Beck. What a great journeyI have had fromthe beginning to the end. My mother taughtme to love and respect people and to understand feelings of others. My father taught me work ethics and how to do stuffaround the house. Theyboth loved me very much. My wife Daisy, my loving partner through most of this journey,was at my side forover 55 years until she passed awaylastJuly. She gave me her love and support never wavering. Certain eventsinmylife

guidedmeforever. Being lucky enough to be bornin NewOrleans was atreasure. The food,music, family, celebrations, and roots were part of me from the beginning.Travelling around thecityatanearly ageonpublictransportation, attending public schools, attending the NOAC,selling soft drinks and popcorn at ayoung ageatnumerous high schoolfootballgames at City Park Stadium gave me astrongindependent base forlife.Being thefirst college graduate(LSU) in my family was agoal Iattained. One majorlife changing experience was going to theU.S.Navy OfficerCandidateSchool and getting my Commissioninthe U.S. Navy.Going to sea on the aircraftcarrierUSS Shangri La gavemeresponsibility and accountabilitythatI used throughout my life.It also gavemethe meeting place formybeloved Daisy at theship's homeportin Mayport, Florida. Other than my parents, wife, and children, there were afew people that influenced my life:myhighschoolbasketballcoach Alex "Greek" Athas, John Kuchler and Charles Ennis at D.H. Holmes, Tony Zulli,Paul McIlhenny and three Presbyterian pastors; Austin Olive, ChrisCurtis, andJason Wood.Mytwenty years of being in the merchandisingarea of D.H. Holmes gave me theopportunity to travel to many partsofthe world. And that continued with my own business therest of my life

Allthree of my children are different and gifted Erik has people talents and is thecoreofa loving family.Amy has tenderness grace, and understanding that onlydaughters can give.Alex has talents in theartistic world that have blossomedinto wonders. And yes, my four grandchildren, Shepherd Henry Beck, Zachary Quinn Miller, Amanda Daisy Miller, and Vivian Dixie Beck are the future Icannot imagine. Do not fret aboutmefolks.I knowthat with Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviorthe best is yetto come.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend my funeralservices on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 11:00 AM at Faith Presbyterian Church, 16330 Highway 1085, Covington, Louisiana, with visitation beginning at 10:00 AM. Interment will followin Pinecrest Memorial Gardens, 2280 West21st Avenue,Covington, Louisiana.

My family has entrusted E.J. Fielding FuneralHome of Covington, Louisiana, withmyfuneral arrangements. Please share thoughts, memories,and condolences by signing on online guestbook at www.ejfieldingfh.com.

AdaAntoine Chancellor entered eternalreston Sunday, October5,2025, at the ageof77. Shewas a nativeand resident of Mar‐rero, LA.Ada wasa gradu‐ate of LincolnHighSchool Class of 1966. Shewas a formeremployeewith KraussDepartmentStore for 11 yearsand Jefferson ParishSchool System for5 years.Beloved mother of WarrenChancellor. Loving grandmother of Warren Rogers,ShantellRogers and Shantrice(Darren) Gloster.Great grand‐motherofRayianna, Rayshad,Sha’Ray,Darren, Aaron,and Cayden.Daugh‐ter of thelateThomas, Sr and Emma Sims Antoine. SisterofEmma L. Jones, MontgomeryJ.Antoine and thelatePaulAntoine, Camille Antoine, Phylice Antoine,OliverAntoine,Sr., VirginiaManshack, ThomasAntoine,Jr.,and MargueriteAntoine Jack‐son.Motherinlaw of Nancy Hearn. Godmother ofLaToyaPickens and ChadAntoine.Bestfriend ofAnnette andMarilyn. Beloved companionof18 years to thelateDonald Speaks, also survived by a hostofnieces, nephews, other relativesand friends. Relatives andfriends of the family, also pastors, ofﬁ‐cers, andmembers of Cathedral of Faith, andall neighboring churches are invited to attend theCele‐bration of Life at Cathedral ofFaith 2921 Fourth St.New Orleans,LAonSaturday, October 18, 2025, at 10:00a.m. Pastor AlvinMul‐der,Jr.,ofﬁciating. Visita‐tionwillbegin at 8:30a.m. until serviceatthe church

Interment: Woodlawn Park MemorialCemetery-West‐wego, LA.Arrangementsby Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St., Gretna,LA. Toviewand sign theguest‐book,pleasegotowww davismortuaryservice.com. Face MasksAre Recom‐mended.

Clay,Marion Ferguson 'Eloise'

Marion “Eloise” Fergu‐son Clay departed this life onMonday, September29, 2025, at theage of 89 years old.Beloved mother of Henry H. Clay Jr Anthony Clay, andLoriClay. Sheis alsosurvivedby6 grand‐childrenand ahostof other familymembers and friends.Relatives and friends of thefamily, also pastors,ofﬁcers,and members of Little Zion MissionaryBaptist Church Access Fellowship Church, and Seniorsfromthe Dorothy B. Watson Com‐munity Center areinvited toattend theFuneralSer‐viceonSaturday, October 18, 2025, at 10:00 am at Lit‐tle Zion Missionary Baptist Church,2200 Kenner Av‐enue,Kenner, LA 70062; PastorC.C.Harrisonofﬁci‐ating.Visitationat9:00am. Interment: Jefferson MemorialGardens,11316 River Road,St. Rose,LA 70087. Richardson Funeral HomeofJefferson,River Ridge,LAinchargeof arrangements. www.ric hardsonfuneralhomeofjeff erson.com

Drazell“Zell” Hermel

Densonentered eternal restonSunday, September 21, 2025, at theage of 37 Hewas anativeand resi‐dentofMarrero,LA. Drazell was educated in both Jef‐fersonand NewOrleans ParishSchool Systemsand completed histrainingat Job Corps. He builthis ca‐reer workingfor theJeffer‐son Parish Sewerage and Water Boardasa Laborer, beforejoining Economical Janitorialand PaperSupply Distributor as aTruck Dri‐ver.Drazell cherishedhis timewithPastorRickey Johnson,where he at‐tendedMt. OliveBaptist Church,alwayswilling to lenda helpinghandwher‐everneeded.Devoted son ofTerry Jacksonand Drean R.Denson. Loving fiancé of La’ShantiaM.Lumar Grandsonofthe late Eu‐niceSr. andDauphineRay‐mond, Willie Jacksonand Doris Jackson. Devoted brother of Raynell(Jilon‐dra)Jackson,Kevin Jack‐son,the late Larry Denson Jr.,DamienJackson and Terry AnnSmith.Cherished nephewofEunice (Willie Mae)Raymond Jr., Gilda Marshall, Ted(Semaj) Ray‐mond, JamesO'Neal, Willie (Betty)O'Nealand thelate Cedrick Raymond. He is alsosurvivedbya host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relativesand friends. Relatives andfriends of the family, also pastors, offi‐cers, andmembers of Mt Olive BaptistChurch,and all neighboringchurches are invitedtoattend the Celebration of Life at Mt Olive BaptistChurch,1701 EstaloteAve Harvey,LA onSaturday, October18, 2025, at 10:00 am.Pastor Ricky Johnson, officiating. Visitationwillbegin at 9:00 amuntil servicetimeat the above-namedchurch Interment: Restlawn Park Cemetery-Avondale,LA. ArrangementsbyDavis MortuaryService,230 Mon‐roe St Gretna,LA. To view and sign theguestbook, pleasegotowww.davismo rtuaryservice.com.Face masks arerecommended

Edwards, Willie MaeAshley

Willie MaeAshleyEd‐wards wasborninNew Or‐leans on October30, 1941 and enteredintoeternal restonSaturday, October 4,2025. Shewas adevoted mother, grandmother, great grandmotherand friend. As amemberof House of theEternal,Willie Mae cherishedgatherings withher familyand church group.Anexcellent seam‐stress, shewas sassy, quick-wittedand lovedto dance.She leaves to cher‐ish hermemory2 children, Charles EdwardsJr. (Zan‐dra)and ErnelLaFrance (Theresa);5 grandchildren, MellEwens,CharleneEd‐wards,Charles EdwardsIII, Myles LaFrance (Iviance), and Bria LaFrance;3 grand‐childrenbymarriage, Do‐minic Jackson, Lionel White, andAlbertDabney; 4 greatgrandchildren, Madyson Stewart, Matthew Stewart, Myson LaFranceand Mylia LaFrance. ACelebration of Lifeservice will be held on Friday, October17, 2025, at CharbonnetFuneral Home, 1615 St.PhilipSt.,New Or‐leans,LA, 70116. Visitation willbegin at 9am, followed bythe serviceat10am. PastorMichael Andrus,Sr. ofﬁciating. Guestbook available online @charbon netfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion, Directors (504)581 4411.

John “Big John” Delbert Eidsonpassedaway peacefully on Sunday,Oc‐tober 12, 2025, at Slidell MemorialHospitalwithhis daughterathis bedside following abrief illness. He was preceded in deathby his parents, Everette John (1974) andCoraBelle Butts Eidson(2022);three sib‐lings:JosephLee (1950) JackieEidsonReynolds (1991),and OuidaJoyce Ei‐dson(2017),and hisloving wifeBrendaJoyce Stokes (2013).Heleavesbehind his grieving daughter,Lisa RossEidson, hisgranddogs Faith andBella,aswellas two sisters: JimmieEidson and LindaEidsonChase Johnisalsosurvivedby two sisters-in-law:Barbara StokesPierce( Roland1998) andDonna Kay StokesByars (Donald Green), as well as ahostof niecesand nephewsthat headored. John wasborn inWebster CountyMissis‐sippi andgraduated from S.D.Lee High School in Columbus, Mississippi,in 1960. John attended Missis‐sippi StateUniversityfor one year andenrolledin the Army.After serving, Johnbegan workingfor Shell Offshore Incorpo‐rated where he made lifelongfriends andenjoyed his career from March27, 1962 to 1998. John wasa devoted husband,caring for hislovingwifeinher lastyears,and an amazing father. In retirement,John managed JESTacklefor his dearfrienduntil 2024. Dur‐ing hislifetime, John was anavidhunter ﬁsherman, and sports fan,(mainly the SEC).Asheand oneofhis

closestfriends told each other in hislastdays, “I’d gladlyhanganother rebel for you” (John’sfavorite teamwas OleMiss) and “I’dgladlyshoot another tiger”(LSUwas hisfriend’s favorite).Whenasked whathe’dliketosay in his obituary, John replied, Adios.”Pleasejointhe familyincelebrating John’s lifewitha visitation and repastatHonaker Funeral HomeinSlidell on Monday October 20, 2025, from 9:00 amuntil 12:00 pm.John’s favoritemeal, tacos, and chips andsalsa will be servedalong with hisfa‐voritedrink,icedtea.In lieuof ﬂowers, memorials may be made to your local food bank or animal shel‐ter,asJohnloved helping others. Please visitwww honakerforestlawn.comto signguestbook.Arrange‐ments by HonakerFuneral Home, Inc.,Slidell, LA

Peggy Eileen Robichaux McKinneyEnglade,71, of LaPlace,Louisiana,passed awaypeacefullyonOcto‐ber 14, 2025 at Ochsner HospitalofKenner. Acele‐bration of life will take place Saturday,October 18, atSt. Joan of ArcCatholic Church in Laplace, with visitationat10amfol‐lowed by mass at 12 pm Peggy wasbornonJuly16, 1954, in NewOrleans, Louisiana.She wasa grad‐uateofLeonGodchaux HighSchool,where she was head majorette and playedthe clarinet.She at‐tendedthe University of SouthwesternLouisiana, majoringinDance Chore‐ography.Her greatest pas‐sionwas owning Starlight Dance Company, where she introduced hundreds ofchildrentoballet, tap, and jazz.She wasstrongin her faith anda long-time memberofSt. Joan of Arc Catholic Church andFirst Assembly of GodChurch She cherishedher family, daughters,and grandchil‐dren, andloved spending timetogether at family gatherings, holidays,and celebrations. Sheissur‐vived by herdaughters and their spouses, Jennifer Cooper(James),Bonnie Accardo (Justin),Bridget Vacha (Allan),and Amanda Fitzgerald(Joseph); her beloved grandchildren FayeFitzgerald, Nash Cooper, Franklin Fitzgerald, Brody Boucvalt,Claudia Accardo,and LeoVacha; and hereldestsibling,J.L Robichaux.She is preceded indeath by herhusband, Dwayne“Dee” Englade; her parents Joseph andEthe‐lyn Robichaux; brothers Bobby andLynnRobichaux, and sister Veronica “Ann Robichaux Maguire. Avisi‐tationfor Peggywillbe heldSaturday, October18, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at St.JoanofArc Catholic Church,412 FirSt., LaPlace,LA70068. Mass willbegin at 12:00 p.m. Peggy will be laid to rest at St. PeterCatholicChurch Cemetery, 1550 LA-44, Re‐serve,LA. Servingaspall‐bearers areAllan Vacha, JustinAccardo, John McK‐inney,George“Shawn” McKinney, Nash Cooper and Franklin Fitzgerald Peggy will foreverbere‐memberedfor herloveand loyalty to herfamilyand friends.Her welcoming smile,cheerfulspirit, and generosityweregifts to all who knew her.

Englade, Peggy Eileen RobichauxMcKinney

Anderson Jr., Thomas Peter

Eidson,JohnDelbert 'Big John'

Denson,Drazell Hermel 'Zell'

Chancellor, AdaAntoine

Beck,Henry Frederick

Ard, Lionel Kenneth

Elbert Louis "Chacy" Getridge was born on July 11, 1942, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Alberta C Moliere and Paul Getridge. He was educated in the Orleans Parish PublicSchools and graduated from L. B. Landry High School in the class of 1959. At Landry, he was amember of the basketball and track and field teams. As he prepared to graduate from high school, Elbert received an athletic scholarshiptoTexas College. During the summer program, he realized that rural Texas was not the place for him, and he enrolled at Grambling College. It was at Grambling that he met the love of his life, Carolyn M. Williams. To this union adaughter, Karla Renee Getridge, was born. After graduating from Grambling in 1964, Elbert decided to migrate to Oakland, California,where he initially resided with his sister, Helen, as he pursued career opportunities He was surprised that on the first day of his job search, he was offereda position as an Expeditor for the SocialSecurity Administration. He later worked for the United States Postal Service before embarking upon acareerinthe transportation industry. For over thirtyfive years, he worked for the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) as an operator, instructor, and training manager He enjoyed introducing young people to the opportunities in transportation and providing instruction in all aspects of the business. During his tenure, he was recognized for outstanding performance and completed the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safety Institute.Asa Certified Senior Instructor, Elbert supported transit districts across the countryin transforming their training programs.Healso served as an expert witness in transportation litigation. After his retirement in 2003, he became active with the AC Transit Retiree Association. Elbert was baptized as a Catholic at ayoung age However, to enable the family to worship together, he and Carolyn joined St. Cuthbert's Episcopal Church in Oakland. When they moved to the Dallas area in 2005, they visited St. Andrew Methodist Church, and inspired by the Biblical teachings and community-focusedministries, he and Carolyn joined the church. He was afaithful member and he participated in the Men's Group School Lunch Delivery Program and was a member of The Covenant Group for over twenty years. Throughout his life, Elbert was asports enthusiast. He enjoyed football, basketball, track and field, golf, and later even baseball. His loyalty to the New Orleans Saints, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Golden State Warriors was unwavering. He was also known as the "Sports Statistician" and prided himself on being able to cite team records and players' accomplishments and enjoyed engaging in spirited discussions of sports trivia with family and friends.Ashepreparedfor retirement, golf became his favorite pastime. He spent his spare time practicing and playing on golf courses throughout the Bay Area He joined the Bob Clayton Golf Club and looked forward to the Annual Labor Day Classic when he would join friends for aweek of golf at different locations For over thirty years, he traveled around the country playing golf, dining out, and sharing tall tales with his friends. After movingto Texas, he also joined the Avid Duffers, with whom he played golf every Tuesday. An enthusiastic alumnus of Grambling State University, Elbert enjoyed returning to campus for Homecoming games or to New Orleans for the Bayou Classic.For many years, he and his college roommates would gather with friends to catch up on each other's lives and share storiesof their days at GSU. As the years passed, the stories became more exaggerated, but they always shared the joy of being together. He was aproud lifetime member of the Grambling State University Alumni As-

sociation. On Thursdaymorning, October 9, 2025,Elbertdepartedthis life to liveeternally withthe Lord. He leaves to cherishhis memory his devotedwife, CarolynWilliams Getridge; his lovingdaughter, Dr.Karla R. (Marvin) Bailey;granddaughter,Dr. DorianM Ball;his brother, Donald (Helen) Getridge;and sister, Barbara GetridgeTross; brother-in-law, George H. (Wanda) Williams; sister-in-law, Beverly W. (Duane)Davis; godchildren, Bridgett Baker McGee, Stephanie J. Veasey,Dr. Ronald Williams II, and Tai J. Chapman; and ahost of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Elbert'slegacy of faith, family,and friends willliveinour hearts forever Visitation willbeheld at 10:00AM on Saturday, October 18, 2025,atShiloh Missionary Baptist Church, 185 Eddie RobinsonSr. Drive,Baton Rouge, LA Serviceswillbegin at 11:00AM with Pastor Fred Jeff Smith officiating.

Hill,BrendaMae Crockem Williams 'Big Bren'

On Saturday,October 4, 2025, ourbeloved fabulous well-renownedBrendaMae Crockem WilliamsHill, "Big Bren",83, received hercall tojourney home to glory. Her voyage beganinNew Orleans,LAwhere shewas bornonJanuary 15,1942 fromthe union of thelate EdnaMae JamesCrockem and thelate EllisLee Crockem,Jr. Shewas unitedinHolyMatrimony toRobertLee Hill,Sr. from thisunion,theybecamea blended familyand par‐entstoa totalofthirteen childrenbetween thetwo ofthem: Ronald W. Williams,Robbin “Tweet” Shaw (Jaime), AnthonyE Williams,RobertL.Hill, Jr (Sonya),RodneyHill(An‐netta ), Angela R. Williams, Angel “Sunny” Williams, JenniferWells (David), An‐thony Hill (Maria), Rodrick Hutchinson, Cheney Hill and Dantrell Hill.She was precededindeath by her formerhusband,Robert Speedy” LeeWilliams, Jr her sister,Verda Lee Crockem Curtis,and daughter, Dana Hill.Brenda led afulland momentous, colorfullifethatwas filled withbeautiful,joyousand humorousmemoriesand All That!She leaves her lovinghusband,stepmotherand step-siblings, 12children, 27 grandchil‐dren, 7great-grandchildren and countingwitha host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friendstocherish and treasureher memory Brendaworkedasa Processor Operator for20 plusyears before retiring fromShell OilRefinery in Norco,LA. Shewas actively involvedinher church,All SaintsEpiscopal andits community outreach in ad‐ditionwithher civicand re‐ligious organizations: Christian Women’s Group, the 4C’s,the Swans, and countless others.A Cele‐bration of Life Servicewill beheldonSaturday, Octo‐ber 18,2025, at Providence Baptist Church,11509 Jef‐fersonHighway,River Ridge,LA70123. Allneigh‐boringand surrounding churches areinvited to at‐tendthe services.The visi‐tationwillbegin at 10:00 am, andthe servicewill begin at 11:00 am.Rev‐erend TerryG.Lewis,Sr. of‐ficiating. Interment: St MarkBenevolentCeme‐tery, 342ProvidenceLn., River Ridge, LA 70123 Arrangementsentrusted to RichardsonFuneralHome ofJefferson,11112 Jeffer‐son Hwy.,River Ridge, LA 70123. To send plants or flowers(www.richardsonf uneralhomeofjefferson com) to thefamilyordo‐natetothe Swans’ (Educa‐tion) Scholarship(http:// paypal.me/swansinc) or the Mattie Jones-Hill MemorialScholarship Foundation (https://mattiehill. org)ortoyourlocal branch ofNAACP in thememoryof BrendaC.Hill.

GildaElaineTaylor Holmes, age74, anda resi‐dentofMarrero,LA, de‐partedthislifeathomeon Thursday,October 9, 2025 Gilda wasa belovedSeam‐stresswho will be missed bymany. Devotedwifeto the late LouisVincent Holmes, Jr., daughter of the late Lionel Taylor Sr and Thelma BazileTaylor Phillips. Mother of Keva AnJanea Holmes Wallace (BraxtonJr.), Keshan Ma‐likaHolmes, Jada Dee Holmes, andthe late Jyra Dee Holmes.SisterofGail Knox, BobbyTaylorSr. (Reynell),the late Lionel Taylor, Jr., andthe late Elton Taylor,Sr. Miemoto Glenn R. Belle Jr Braxton A.Wallace,Louis A. Wal‐lace, Lamont J. Belle Sr OliviaA.Wallace,and MariahMalikaMcCants Great MiemotoMaliyah Belle,YamariBelle,Camron Belle,LamontJ.Belle Jr., J’ainni Martin,RileyBelle Kyleigh Belle,Lyric Belle, Zyair Belle, Osyrus Wal‐lace, andRommirusWal‐lace. Also survived by a hostofother relativesand friends.Private Burial.You may sign theguest book onhttp://www.gertrud egeddeswillis.com Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home Inc.,incharge (504) 522-2525.

Leola Dupre Holmes, affectionately known to many as "Miss Holmes" at theage of 90 departed this life peacefully on Saturday, September 20, 2025 at East Cobb Center for Nursing and Healing in Marietta, GA.Daughter of thelate Charles and Louise Johnson. Wife of the late Alfred Holmes. Mother of Dwayne (Stephanie), Leon (Nedra), Christopher (Tasha), adopted daughter, Emily Mashia, thelate Wayne K. Holmes, adopted daughters, Adrian "Winky" Derkins and Bernadette Mott.Alsosurvivedbysix grandchildren, one great grandchild and ahost of nieces, nephews, otherrelatives and friends. Anative of Hahnville, LA and resident of Norco, LA.For morethan35years, Mrs. Holmes shared her gift of teaching as ahighschool mathematics instructor first at Carver HighSchool and lateratDestrehan High School. Herinfluence in theclassroom and in the community remains one of her greatest legacies Relatives and friendsof thefamily,also pastors, officers and members of Greater Good Hope Baptist Church and allneighboring churches are invitedtoattend theFuneral service at Greater GoodHope Baptist Church, 47 Cathy Street, Norco,LAonSaturday October18, 2025 at 11:00 AM. Pastor Tyrone Scott, Officiating.Interment Jefferson Memorial Garden Cemetery, St Rose, LA Visitation at theabove named church from 10:00 AM until servicetime

Geason Wire.She wasbap‐

tized in theMississippi River by Rev. HenryTribbet, Sr. in August 1938, as a memberofBuena Vista Baptist Church.Her deeprooted faith guided every stepofher life.InJanuary 1941, Olivia unitedinmar‐riage with FrankJoshua Jr After Frank’sreturnfrom World WarII, thecouple settled in NewOrleans.She raisedfourchildrenina loving, structured house‐hold, grounded in disci‐pline andeducation—in‐stillinginthemthe values thatshapedher ownlife. Oliviawould continue her faith journeybyjoining Pil‐grimProgressMissionary Baptist Church in 1951, under theleadershipof Rev.JohnFrancis.She serveddiligently on theJu‐niorUsher Board, arole she fulﬁlled with graceand devotionuntil Hurricane Katrina displacedher in 2005. Olivia wasmorethan a homemaker—shewas a skilled seamstress anda union activist.She worked atRutterRex Manufactur‐ing Co., where shecoura‐geously participated in a labor strike to advocate for betterworking conditions Later,she joined Deans‐gateManufacturing,a unionized shop,and proudly retiredasa mem‐ber of theInternational Ladies’ GarmentWorkers Union to care forher beloved husband.Olivia was knownfor hergener‐ous spirit.She taught countless young womento sew andoften supplied lunchesfor co-workers She wasa foundingmem‐ber andsecretary of the WillingWorkers Club of New Orleans, which was founded to supporther homechurch,Buena Vista Baptist Church.After Hurri‐caneKatrina,Oliviare‐turnedtoLemannville to livewithher sisters, Ruth Vealand Rosemary Sorrell, and worshipather family church –Buena Vista. Eventually, shemoved backtoNew Orleanstolive withher daughter,Ber‐nette.She remained active byparticipating in these‐niorcitizensprogram at Reality HouseonFranklin Avenue—continuingtoup‐liftthose around herwith wisdomand warmth.Olivia Wire Joshua waspreceded indeath by herparents her husband FrankJoshua Jr.,all of herbeloved sib‐lings,her sonLynwood Joshua,and hergrandson MarkJohnson.She leaves behinda loving legacy in her children:Sigmond Joshua (Carol), ChiefJus‐ticeBernette Johnson (ret.), andFrank Frederick Joshua (Rita);her eight grandchildren:Glenn Joshua (Jennifer),Tonia Ricketts, Renee Deshommes, Ph.D (Jacques),David Johnson, Kenneth Joshua (Claudia), Judge RachaelJohnson, RaShondaJoshua-Tibbs, and AntualisaJohnson; and 15 great-grandchildren who will carry herlight for‐ward. Shealsoleavesa hostofnieces, nephews, cousins,and friendswho weretouched by her strength, kindness, andun‐waveringlove. Family and friends areinvited to at‐tendfuneral services on Saturday, October18, 2025 at10:00 a.m. at GreaterSt. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church,5600 Read Blvd Visitationbeginsat9:00 a.m.Interment at Buena Vista BaptistChurch Cemetery, Lemannville, Louisiana.Inlieuof ﬂow‐ers,pleaseconsidermak‐ing adonationtothe Louisiana Judicial CouncilNationalBar Association Foundation, Inc. scholar‐shipfund.Contributions shouldbesenttothe LJCNBA Foundation,Inc.atPO Box 384, Kenner,LA70063 ArrangementsbyD.W RhodesFuneralHome, 3933 WashingtonAve.New Or‐leans,LA70125. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral. com to sign theonline guestbook

over fortyyears.Under the leadershipofher brother, BishopJessieRayford,she becamea foundingmem‐ber of St.JohnMissionary Baptist Church,where she remaineda member until her death. Notonlywas she agood andfaithful servant of theLord, but SisterMag wasalsoa lov‐ing andcaringmotherand a caring member of her community.She helped and caredfor amultitude ofpeople, spreadingher lovefar andwide. The Lucky Star Barhosted: Sudan Social andPleasure Cluband theYellowPoca‐hontasTribe ledbyAllison “Tootie”Montana,for manyyears down in the 7th Ward of NewOrleans, Louisiana.SisterMag was a greatcook who loved hosting familygatherings. She also sold hercuisine to customers throughout New Orleans,especiallydownin the 7-Ward.She worked as a cook at Loyola University and at theKrauseDepart‐mentStore.Along with her husband,David (Dave),Sis‐ter Magand Dave rantwo barsintwo restaurantson Saint BernardAvenue: Maggie’sLucky Star Bar& Restaurantand LuckyStar Store.Surrounded by her lovingand caring familyin her home,MissionaryMag‐nolia Rayforddepartedthis lifeonOctober 5, 2025. Left tocherish hermemories are herseven sons, Leonard (Charlotte)Ray‐fordofBaton Rouge, Louisiana,MelvinRayford Cleveland Rayford, David Rayford,Jessie(Andrea) Rayford of Colorado, MitchellRayford,and RobertRayford,one step‐son,David,Cyrus;eight daughters,Albirta Rayford (Glenn) Armstrong, Ernes‐tineRayford,GailRayford, Jeanette Rayford(Cedrick) Melton, DorothyBarnes, MagnoliaRayford (Willie) McLaughlin, Lula Rayford and Beatrice Rayford, one stepdaughterPatriciaGre‐gory; twosisters:LulaMae (Rayford) Lewisand Beat‐rice(Rayford) James; and three brothers,Jessie (Roslyn)Rayford,JackRay‐ford, andCleveland Ray‐ford; seventy-onegrand‐children; ninety-six greatgrandchildren;forty-four great-great-grandchildren; herverygood friend TeresaRayford;and ahost ofnieces, nephews, rela‐tives,and friends. Known asthe “Queen of Saint Bernard Avenue,” Mission‐ary Magnolia wasa friend toall in the6th and7th Wards.SisterMag waspre‐ceded in deathbyher hus‐band, DavidLang; sons: James Fitzgerald Lang Larry Rayford, andstepson JimmieHill; grandsons: David LeeMeltonJr, Farrell Rayford,ErnestJoseph Melton, KristopherJuan Parker, EltonBarnes, Larry Taylor, andCarlosTaylor; great-granddaughter Lynier Rayford; brothers Eddie, Julius,and Dock Rayford;and sistersArlie Gains andAlberta Lyons. Familyand friendsare in‐vited to attend theCele‐bration of Life Serviceon Saturday, October18, 2025, for 10:00 a.m. at theTreme Center, 900 NorthVillere St.,New Orleans, LA 70116 Visitationwillbegin at 9:00 a.m.HonoraryBishopJesse Rayford andPastorRoslyn Rayford,ofﬁciating. Follow‐ing Jazz FuneralInterment willbeatMount Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Norman Mayer Ave.,New Orleans, LA. On behalf of theRay‐fordand Lang family, we wanttothank each and every onefor coming outin honor of ourmother, mis‐sionary Magnolia Lang Rayford.Thank youfor your ﬂowers, thoughts,or whateveritisthatyou did toshowyourloveinhonor ofthiswoman of God. Our sincerest thanks to you. May Godbless andmay God keep.Guestbook On‐line: www.anewtraditionbe gins.com(504) 282-0600 Donavin D. Boyd andLinear BrooksBoydOwners/Fu‐neral Directors.

Dwayne Marrero. Daughter ofthe late Joseph andAu‐dreyVerrett. Loving sister ofBarbara (Alvin)Birdlow and thelateSamuelVer‐rett, FrankSouthallII, Irvin Southall, andNorma Ver‐rett. Betty is also survived by7 grandchildren, 2great grandchildren,and ahost ofnieces, nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. Relativesand friends of thefamily, also pastors,ofﬁcers andmem‐bersofNew SunriseBap‐tistChurch #1 andall neighboring churches are invited to attend theCele‐bration of Life at NewSun‐riseBaptist Church #1, 1325 LeBoeufStreet Gretna, LA on Saturday,Oc‐tober 18, 2025, at 10:00a.m. PastorCornell Sisler,ofﬁci‐ating.Visitationwillbegin at8:30a.m.until service timeatthe church.Inter‐ment: WoodlawnPark MemorialCemetery-West‐wego, LA.Arrangementsby Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St.Gretna, LA FaceMasks Recom‐mended.

Orellana,Ramona Fidelina

Ramona FidelinaOrel‐lanapassedawayonOcto‐ber 11, 2025 in Titusville,FL atthe ageof96. Beloved wifeofthe late Marcelo Orellana. Devotedmother ofJorje A. Orellana Roberto A. Orellana (Norma),JoséF.Orellana (Elsa), Victor B. Orellana (Liliana),Hortensia Pizzati, RuthE.Flores(David),Flo‐renciaB.Canales, Marcelino I. Orellana (Lil‐iam), MayraO.Lopez (Luis), andMaria C. Orel‐lana. Grandmotherof Marcelo,German, Yadira Dania,Diana,Jamie,José, Livia,Victor, Ivy, Leonardo, Lilac,Carlos, Karla, Dennis, Hazel,David,Michael, Yolannie, Elvin, Erika, Gina Jessica,and Christian. Great-grandmother of Inaki, JorgeMarcelo,Dono‐van,Mia,Lisette,Sophia, Sebastian,Mateo,Gabriel, Jade, Nazareth,Tristan SophiaLoren,Sadie,Bi‐ranna,CarlosLiam, Alberto Miguel, Leya,Danilo, Kayla, Brennan,Xavier, Ethan, Kohen,Emeric, Isabella Gabriel,and Gabriela.She was thedaughterofthe lateJacoboAgustin Batrez and Angela Ardon. Sister of OdiliaRodriguez,Hortensia Batista,and JesusBatrez. Alsosurvivedbynumerous niecesand nephews. Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to attend theFuneral ServicesatHolyNameof Mary, 400 Verret St., New Orleans,LA70114 on Satur‐day,October 18, 2025. Visi‐tationwillbegin at 9:00 am witha Mass of Christian Burialstartingat11:00 am Intermentwillfollowat GardenofMemoriesCeme‐tery, 4900 AirlineDr., Metairie, LA 70001. To order ﬂowersoroffer condo‐lences, please visitwww gardenofmemoriesmetairi e.com.

taken herfinal bow.Restinradiantpeace, Anastasia. We love you andGod lovesyou more. Mayher memory be ablessing

MissionaryMagnolia Sister Mag” RayfordLang was born to thelateDock and Inez LeeRayford on May 29, 1934, in Transylva‐nia,Louisiana.Accepting Christatanearly age, she was baptizedin1949. In 1954, shemoved to New Orleans,Louisiana,eventu‐allyjoining SaintMarkMis‐sionary BaptistChurch under theleadershipofthe lateReverendAuthor James Alexander, where she remained afaithful anddedicated servantfor

Betty Jean Marrero peacefully enteredinto eternal rest at herresi‐dence on Sunday,Septem‐ber 28, 2025, surrounded by her lovedones, at theage of77. Shewas anativeof New Orleans, LA anda resi‐dentofGretna, LA.Betty was employed as aSales AssociatewithDillard’s De‐partmentStore.Beloved wifeofthe late Warren Marrero.Devoted mother ofKevin Lee(Trine) Mar‐rero,Sr. andthe late

Olivia Wire Joshua,Oc‐tober 10, 1922 –October 8, 2025. Olivia Wire Joshua was born on October10, 1922, in Lemannville, Louisiana,tothe union of Harrison Wire andMary See

Holmes,Gilda Elaine Taylor

Holmes, Leola

Patmas,Tobie Helene 'Anastasia'

In Loving Memory of Tobie Helene Miller Patmas "Anastasia" July 21, 1942 -October 6, 2025. With grace, flair, and aheart full of courage, Tobie Patmas—known to manyasAnastasia," the BeautifulHat Lady and Belle of theBall—has

Lang,MagnoliaRayford 'SisterMag'

Marrero, Betty Jean

OPINION

Better governing, nottaxes,the answer forN.O.

At the start of 2025, the city of New Orleans had over $200 million in ﬁnancial reserves, a50% decline from $400 million just two years earlier.Last month, the city reported that without changes to spending or revenues, it would end 2025 with anegative ﬁnancial reserve. Moody’sRatings recently downgraded the city’smunicipal bond rating, increasing the city’scost of borrowing money Residents and businesses alike are being asked to brace for tough decisions. But if we approach this crisis with focus, urgency and discipline, we can do more than just close abudget gap. We can reset the trajectory of New Orleans city government.

vices wouldonlydeepen public frustration, acceleratepopulation loss and stall economic growth. The real solutionisnot moremoney, it’sbettermanagement.

Let’sbeclear: This is not the time for more taxes or fewer essential services. In acity already grappling with crumbling infrastructure, perpetual public safety concerns and a chronically underperforming bureaucracy,raising taxes or slashing core ser-

As abusinesscommunity, we’velong supported investing in New Orleans’ future through thoughtful budgeting. But this year, ourcall is different We urge City Hall to committofinancial integrity and operational efficiency,not just in the 2026 budget, but asagoverning philosophy going forward. It’stime for afundamental reset in howNew Orleans managesits finances. That means cutting recurring expenditurestoalign with recurringrevenues. It meanstakinga hard look at which government functions are truly essentialand restructuring city operationstoreflect that. We must stop the cycleofbudgeting based on wishfulthinking and start using data-drivencriteria to make tough but necessary choices City departmentsshould

be evaluated based on their growthand performance over the past five years. Where can technology streamline processes? Where can we consolidate services or redeploy staff to higher-priorityareas like roadwork, permitting or public safety? We cannot continue withoutdated staffing models that inflate overtime or bury inefficiencies under layers of bureaucracy At thesame time, the city must maximize what it already brings in. Better

enforcement of fines and fees, improved collection practices and smarter managementofexisting revenue streamscan yield significant resultswithout burdening residentsfurther If thecurrent administration and City Council can work together to deliver a balanced, honest budget, they will not only stabilize thecity’sfinances; they will rebuild trust.Adisciplined budget process this fall could mark the start of a broader culture change at

La., incarcerationhave long andtroubling past

In the ﬁnal galleryofthe Historic New Orleans Collection’sawardwinning exhibition, “Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration,” visitors were asked to reﬂect and respond to thequestion, “If you could change Louisiana’s incarceration system, where would you begin?”

Nearly 2,000 visitors wrotean answer to the question and posted it on the wall, creating an evolving space for visitors to envision abrighter future.

Captive State is agroundbreaking public history project. It’sthe ﬁrst public-facing projecttopresent athreecentury historical synthesis of incarceration in New Orleans and Louisiana witha focus on the connections between systems of slavery and mass incarceration.

—including the jarring price the state paysfor incarceration annually (over $1 billion), paired with the stories of people impacted by thesystemthat populated the galleries.

City Hall, one that prioritizes performance, transparency and accountability

But if leaders fail to meet this challenge, the consequences will be steep: deeper cuts, fewerservices and afurther collapse in public conﬁdence. And that’sa price New Orleans simply can’tafford.

The choices we make in this budget cycle will shape the next administration’sability to govern effectively.Let’sgive them a city government that is not bloated, but focused. Not

reactionary,but deliberate. Notfaltering under its own weight, but agile enough to meet the needs of its people. We must also institutionalize this shift. Right-sizing government shouldn’tbe aone-timeﬁx, it must be an ongoing process. That meansregular reviewsof service delivery,workforce deployment and technology upgrades. Tools like artiﬁcial intelligence and digital process automation aren’t luxuries; they’re necessities fordelivering modern, responsive governance. The NewOrleans Police Department’ssuccess using tech as aforce multiplier shows what’spossible when we embrace innovation.

NewOrleans doesn’tlack talent, ideas or determination. But it does lack agovernment that manages its ﬁnances with the rigor and responsibility its citizens deserve. The 2026 budget is morethan aspreadsheet, it’satest of leadership. Let’sget it right.

Vanessa BrownClaiborne is the chairand Amy Glovinskyisthe managing director of theBusiness CouncilofNew Orleans & theRiver Region

Hope,humanityand healinginatimeofgrief

Eric Seiferth

The exhibition, which closed earlier this year,was ahugesuccess for HNOC in many meaningful ways, including both visitation numbers (25,000), and the high levels of engagement demonstrated by the astonishing number of visitors who wanted to say something before leaving. For many,the stories and information presented in the exhibition werenew; for others the exhibition represented apublic telling of privately known truths

Both groups, however, oftenleft the galleries asking staffhow they could learn more, or if there were ways to preserve the stories in Captive State into the future.

The Captive State book, released Oct. 1, represents the institution’s commitment to continue sharing the history and stories presented in the exhibition that resonated with so many visitors.

But it does more than just reprint on paperwhat thousands of visitorssaw in the galleries. The bookincludes updated 2025 data

Additionally,the book pointsto other resources for scholars, advocates and othersinterested in learning more. Scores of citations, footnotes and abibliography are included, all designed to contribute to the existing scholarship on the history of incarceration in New Orleans and Louisianaand to helppeople consider howthey might change ourcurrent system.

The criminal legal system andpublic safetyare as relevant to New Orleanians, Louisianans and Americans as ever.Efforts toward criminal legal reform that had bipartisan nationwide support in the last decade have evaporated, andincarceration rates areonce again increasingwithout acorresponding drop in violent crime.

Just in New Orleans, thecity’s jail population hasincreased by over 400 people, representing a 40% increase, over this half decade. Rates for thoseserving sentences in thecustody of the LouisianaDepartment of Safety and Corrections have also increased over thepast ﬁveyears, with nearly one thousandmore people in prison today than in 2020.

In groundingthis contemporary reality in three hundred years of history and data,Captive State makes anecessary contribution to meaningful public discourseon what abrighter future for all can be.

EricSeiferth is acurator and historian with the Historic New Orleans Collection.

Anyone watching the news right now is grieving. Media coverage is saturatedwith storiesofdeath and tragedy —frommass shootings and war to violence in our own neighborhoods. Recent anniversaries of Hurricane Katrina and9/11have resurfaced painful memories while our community continues to mournliveslostinthe New Year’sDay BourbonStreet tragedyand thelong shadowofthe COVID-19 pandemic. Due to social media, we’reexposed to far more information today than we werejust twenty years ago. The constant stream of news makes it nearly impossible to avoidthe sadness and heartbreak —often for families we’ve never met —who are suffering unimaginable lossamidtoday’sglobal turmoil. In the face of so much tragedy,how do we hold on to hope and stay positive,; not only for ourselves but for our children and grandchildren? As veteranfuneral directors, we are dedicated to guiding families through profound momentsofgrief and loss. Drawing on decades of experience,we would like to share insights and guidance to help navigategrief, whether personalorthis timeofshared culturalgriefthat we ﬁnd around us. First, therole of community. Grief is meant to be shared. As human beings, we arewired to ﬁnd comfort in connection. Mourning together allows us to process loss through shared support of friends, family and community. In times of loss, it is the people who gather around us thathelp us survive and eventually begin to heal.

comes through action. Whether attending a funeral, delivering aeulogy or sharing memories, participating in the rituals of grief helps us process our emotions. Personal acts of remembrance —such as printing photos, writing down memories or volunteering in the person’s name —can offer comfort and closure. Grief looks different for everyone, but engaging with it intentionally gives space to heal and evolve.

Second, the role of ritual. Rituals provide structure.Memorials,funerals and other ceremonies provide aspace to commemorate life and preserve memories. These shared momentsofremembrance allow us to be part of something greater than ourselves. Even smallgestureslike lighting acandle, telling astory or placing aﬂower can be profoundly meaningful, especially for children. We have aresponsibility to teach the next generation how to face death with dignity,empathy and understanding.

Third, the role of participation. Healing often

Fourth, the role of relationship. Loss changes relationships —not just with the person who has died, but with those still living. Sharing memories and stories can draw us closer,creating bonds through mutuallove and remembrance. Yetgrief can also create distance among us. In these moments, it’simportant to choose compassion over conﬂict. This is atime to set aside differences, to forgive and reconnect. Griefreminds us that life is too short to stay divided. Fifth, the role of hope. Hope allows us to reimagine life after loss. Is death the end, or adoorway to something beyond? Whatever our beliefs, hope helps us ﬁnd meaning in suffering and points us toward whatisstill possible.

Many of us who work in the funeral profession live by the words of 19th century British Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone: “Show me the manner in which anation or community caresfor its dead, and Iwill measure with mathematical exactness the tender mercies of its people their respect for the laws of the land and their loyalty to high ideals.”

As funeral directors, we strive to serve not just families, but humanity.Weencourage you to do the same within your own circles, neighborhoods and communities. Grieve as you must but grieve with intention. Honorthe lost by supporting the living. In aworld markedby recent tragedies, near or far,our capacity to care for one another is more vital thanever

DavidB.Eastland is afuneral director and manager at WestsideLeitz-Eagan Funeral Home and pastor of First Baptist Church of Harahan. Huey Campbellisa funeral director at WestsideLeitz-Eagan Funeral Home.

The historic peace dealbetween Israel and Hamas that led to aceasefire in the two-year-old warinGazahas been agoal sought by President DonaldTrump and his administrationsince he took office. It outlines a20-pointplan to achievestability in theregion.

Since Hamas attacked amusic festival and residential areas in IsraelonOct. 7, 2023, killing more than 1,200 people, torturing some and takingscores hostage,Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate thethreatposed by Hamasinthe Gaza Strip.The ensuingwar has ledtothe deathsoftensofthousands of Palestinians.To achieve adiplomatic breakthrough, Trump and his envoys were able to do what seemed impossible: bring together leaders in the Arabworld to pressure Hamasand also convince Netanyahuthat the security of Israelwouldbeguaranteed.What lessons can be takenfromhow thedealcame together?Here are twoperspectives:

TheGonzo brilliance of Trump’sGazadiplomacy

The “ceasefire now” crowd finally got its ceasefire, althoughnot theway it hoped. Israel and Hamas agreed to stop the fighting in Gaza, while theterror group agreed to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

There’salways achancethe agreement falls apart. Still, it isn’t creating jubilation from allthe people who have been braying for Israel to end the war.There aretwo reasons —one is thatthe deal is favorable for Israel, and the other is that the deal’sarchitectisapresident of the United Stateswhom the fiercest advocates of aceasefirehate If it holds, the agreement is the biggest victory yet for Donald Trump’s hyperactive, transactional diplomacy Alifetime of maneuveringfor advantage in the real estateand media worlds in New York City —searching for and using everyounce of leverage —was better preparation forhighlevel internationaldiplomacy than if Trump had spent alifetime on theSenate Foreign Relations Committee. Whereas “internationalopinion” believed we had to isolate andcut off Israel, Trump armed the Jewish state, bombed Iran and squeezed Qatar to bring Hamas to heel —and it worked. The dealisa tribute to avoiding the well-worn ruts of Middle East diplomacy As for Israel, it needed to find away out of aconflict that had become aPR disaster.Getting the hostages back was an important national goal, even if the exchange was lopsided (theseswaps always are). Meanwhile, Israel will pull back to an agreed-upon line, but still hold an estimated 53% of Gaza as asecurity buffer.Even if things eventually go south again, Israel has bought time by decimating Hamas andsignificantly diminishing the threatsfrom Iran and Hezbollah.

would betransformative for Israel’s security and forthe lives of Gazans. There will presumably be no speeches at Hollywood awards ceremonies crediting Trumpfor his peace-making. Among other things, there’stoo much cognitivedissonance in saying, “I think PresidentTrump is adangerous fascist —but appreciate how bound and determined he is to end conﬂicts around the world.”

Trump is agonzo version of standard U.S. foreign policy All American presidents want to makepeace in the Middle East, and all want, whether they say it or not, to win the Nobel Peace Prize. What’s differentabout Trumpishis methods,and his openness about seeking acall from the Nobel committee.

Ahallmark of his policymaking at its best is an unwillingness to take “no” for an answer,anunremittingsense of urgency anda creativity that is considered unrealistic or reckless by conventional metrics. We saw it during his ﬁrst term with his success securing the border,with the historic achievement of Operation Warp Speed and withthe Abraham Accords.

“The reasonable man adapts himself to theworld,” George Bernard Shaw maintained, theunreasonable one persistsintrying to adapt the world to himself.Therefore, all progress depends on theunreasonable man.”

In this sense, Trumpisusefully unreasonable. Everyone around the world needs to be alittle afraid of him, while he is willing to talk to anyone or consider anything. Hisoptimism can be misplaced(theUkraine war was a tougher nut than he thought) and his highlypersonalized diplomacy can misﬁre (he got unnecessarily crosswisewith Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi), but he can also prove all hisdoubters wrong.

Credit forGazaceasefire goes to IDF, Netanyahu

“If you start to take Vienna, take Vienna.” —Napoleon Unminced words arenow required lest we ﬂinch from acknowledging the stark —and for many people, unsettling —lessonofIsrael’sachievement since Oct. 7, 2023. The lessonis: Often military might does, and often only it can, make roomfor diplomacy

Primarycredit for theceasefire between Israel and thosewho still aspiretomurder it goes to the Israel Defense Forces. So, credit alsogoes to the prime minister who wielded the IDF with aproperly austereregardfor the opinions of mankind, Benjamin Netanyahu. Will the current ceasefireinthe two-year war be morethan merely this? If so,itwill be because on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel recognized that the necessary precondition for the cessation of warfare would also be sufficient:destruction of Hamas’ and Hezbollah’scapacity for waging war.The diplomats’ hour arrived after, and because of, the fighting by thosewho form the tip of Israel’sspear against unprovoked and wanton violence. Because of the mostly young men and women of the IDF

It is certainly true that Phase 2of the deal, which is supposed to disarm Hamas and establish atechnocratic Palestiniangovernment in Gaza, will be much more difﬁcult to pull off.If it were to come to fruition, though, it

The Washington cliche is that there is no limit to the good you can do if you don’tcare whogetsthe credit.Trump shows, to the contrary,that sometimes there is no limit to the good you can do if youwant allthe credit Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry.

ported versions but one clear meaning: In large undertakings, avoid tentativeness. All wars end. The Hundred Years’ War, the Thirty Years’ War, the Seven Years’ War, and all others, before and since, ended. Some did so from mutualorasymmetrical exhaustion, some with differencesplitting negotiations. The war that paused and perhaps ended last week reminded the world that Israel has never known aday of peace, properly understood. Peace is more than the absence of violence. It is acondition where threats of violence are not the constant white noise of existence. Israel was attacked by nonstate actors, Hamas and Hezbollah, committedtothe destruction of the Israeli state, continuing acondition that preceded the Israeli state.

Israel has always had, because it has earned it, U.S. support. It has never,however,been dependent on it. Centuries of hard experiences, culminating in Auschwitz, have taught the Jewish people the lethal risks of dependenceon others. Israel’sbirth was apost-Holocaust proclamation: “Never again!”

The U.S. Declaration of Independence acknowledges an obligation to have “a decent respect to the opinions of mankind” (emphasis added).Indecent respect occurswhen theopinions of mankind are not respectable, or when respecting them involves indecent consequences. To the Trump administration’scredit, the United States has enabled Israel’svictory by not restraining itsself-defense. U.S. policy has toooften restrainedUkraine since Russia attacked on Feb. 24, 2022.

Historians will assess if and when Israel has used disproportionateforce. The historians whoseconclusions will deserve most respect will be thosewho grapple with Israel’sOct. 7reality.Then it wascontiguous to an enclave under the thumb of organized sadistswho sheltered behind acaptive civilian population. Historians should begin with thebeginning —remembering the sexual and other violence recordedby Hamas body cameras on Oct. 7. Historians will have to acknowledge that Netanyahu, who is responsible for his nation’ssafety,graspedthe nettle. He acted on Napoleon’saxiom, which has various re-

Netanyahu’spost-Oct. 7decision to destroy Hamas and Hezbollah wasthatIsrael shall never again have an occasion to say “Never again!” His use of violence has perhaps economized violence. The destruction of two enemyorganizations might mean,in subsequent years, fewer deaths than would otherwise have occurred on both sides.

For decades, U.S. ofﬁcials belabored Israel with reasons why, in negotiations with bellicose enemies, it should “take arisk forpeace.” To one ofﬁcial, Netanyahu, referring to atranquil Washington suburb, replied, “You live in Chevy Chase. Don’t play with our future.”

For Israel, as forUkraine since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, being has been risky.Israel has refused to trim its sails to accommodate gusts of critical opinions from people living comfortably at asafe distance from violence. Like Ukraine’sexample of fortitude, Israel’s is agifttoanonly intermittently resolute West.

EmailGeorge Will at georgewill @washpost.com.

Rich Lowry

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByyOANVALAT

President Donald Trumpshows asigned documentonMonday during aceremonyatthe

Gaza International

George Will

with meteorologist DamonSingleton

We are closelyfollowing atropical wave with somepotential for development in thesouth CentralAtlantic that is headed towardthe Caribbean. It is currentlynot athreattothe Gulf Coast.Locally,it’ll be anothernice day. Expect amostlysunny, hot and humid daywithalight easterly breeze. Temperatures thisafternoon will rise to the upper 80s,but feeling likethe mid90s.Rainchances today are at 10% or less, and partsofsoutheast Louisiana are undera moderate drought.

Scales,MaryUrsin 'Mut'

Mary "Mut"Ursin

Scales, age84, wasbornon March 18,1941 in NewOr‐leans,LA, enteredeternal restonWednesday,Sep‐tember24, 2025. Mary leavestocherish hermem‐ories,her uncle Edward Woodard, Jr hersister Deborah Warren,her broth‐ers Kelvin andRoyal Ursin, Jr. andEdwardRandolph. She wasprecededindeath byher husband Jessie Scales, herson Dwayne Russ, herparents Royal Ursin,Sr.,and Agnes Reaux,her grandparents Edwardand Alberta Woodard, Sr herbrothers Malcolm andReginald Ursin,and Tyrone Ran‐dolph,hesisters Barbara Badie,Jocelyn Andrews, and LindaUrsin,and her unclesAlfredand Eugene Woodard. Relativesand friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend theCele‐bration of Life Serviceon Saturday, October18, 2025 atSecondMorning Star Baptist Church,2616 St.An‐drewStreet,New Orleans, LA70113 at 10:00 a.m. Visi‐tationfrom9:00a.m.until 10:00 a.m. IntermentProvi‐dence Memorial Park,8200 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA 70003. Youmay sign the guest book on http://www gertrudegeddeswillis.com. Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home Inc.,incharge (504) 522-2525.

DebraMcBride Smith departedthislifeonThurs‐day,October 9, 2025 at the age of 66. Debrafound joy inspendingtimewithfam‐ily and embraced everyex‐periencewithenthusiasm and love.She wasbornin New Orleans, LA,tothe lateIrvin andEthel McBride.She attended GeorgeWashingtonCarver SeniorHighSchool,where she graduatedin1977, and later earned herdegree fromCameron Community College.She is thewifeof Terry SmithSr. Mother of Terry SmithJr.,Terrica Smith andDinaSmith.Sis‐ter of NancyMcDaniel (Joseph), EthelMurry (John),Anita McBride(San‐ford),Wanda Polk (Craig), SidneyMcBride Sr.(Jimon‐tanae), thelateEdward Turner, Cheryl McBride, AlexTurner, Kenneth McBride Sr.and Janice Jenkins Morris. Daughterin-lawtothe late Lucille Smith.She is also survived by4 grandchildren: Terry Smith III, Tejay Smith, Tyree Smith andDylan Smith; 1 great grandson:Terry Smith IV;godchildren: Matthew Tanner Jr., Sidney McBride Jr JakieraCaples, Devin Schaffer and Dia‐mondSchafferand ahost ofnieces, nephews, other relatives andfriends.Rela‐tives and friendsofthe family, also employeesof Central City HeadstartEOC are invitedtoattend aFu‐neral ServiceatBattle‐ground BaptistChurch, 2241 Flood St.New Orleans, LA70117 on Saturday,Oc‐tober 18, 2025 at 10:00am. Visitationwillbegin at 9:00 am. Interment: Mt.Olivet Cemetery. Arrangements byD.W.RhodesFuneral Home, 3933 Washington Ave.New Orleans, LA

Myrtle L. Smith, the cherished only childof James Rayand Myrtle Coleman,was born on May 23, 1944, andraisedina lovingChristian family. She receivedher education through theJefferson ParishSchool System and furthered herstudies as a certified interior designer Myrtlewillberemembered for hergrace,creativity, and love forlife’ssimple joys. Shehad an impecca‐ble senseofstyle —always polishedand timeless, car‐rying herselfwithelegance inevery setting. Herfash‐ion reflectedher warm spiritand attentiontode‐tail; areflection of the beautyshe broughtto those around her. Her homewas areflection of her heart— inviting,beau‐tiful,and filled with love She hada remarkable tal‐ent forinteriordecorating and floral arranging, often transformingordinary spacesintosomething ex‐traordinary.Her floral cre‐ationsbrightenedevery occasion.Entertaining familyand friendswere one of hergreatestjoys. She made everyguest feel welcome,her laughter kindness, andhospitality created lastingmemories for all. Myrtle also hada deep appreciation for music.Itwas therhythmof her days andthe sound‐track of herlife— asource ofcomfort,joy,and inspi‐ration. Whethersoftly playing in thebackground or fillingthe housewith her favorite songs, music reflectedher love,peace and spirit.OnSeptember 23, 1989, Myrtle married Lee MichaelSmith,whom she lovingly referred to as “theloveofher life.” From thatday forward, shededi‐

cherishedbyher devoted husband;Lee Michael Smith,her proudchildren, Portialyn Hess, Tanya Hess-Rhodes (Freddie), DonaldR.Hess, Jr., Kendra Hess-McCurdy(Darren), DarrinHess(Raegan), JarvisSmith,and Carrie Perkins.Onyxher gentle, loyal,and cuddly Shih Tzu. 15grandchildren;Megan, Morgan, Taylor,FreddieIII, Tre,Lance,DonaldIII, Christian,Caleb,Micah, Angel,Devin,Jalyn,Akil and Reese; 17 greatgrand‐children; Matriarch, Au‐dreyT.Alexis, Godchildren Tresa Wallace, Tanya& Tyran Wilson;sisters-inlaw;Deborah Cosey(Bob‐bie), SusanAlfred(Sam), VeronicaCunningham (Jim),RosalindWhite and DanaSmith;two brothersin-lawRandy Smith(Glo‐ria), KimSmith (Linda)and a host of otherrelatives and friends. Myrtle is pre‐ceded in deathbyher par‐ents; JamesRay andMyr‐tle ColemanRay;grandson RodneyHess, great-grand‐daughter: Eliana Hess; four brothers-in-law;David Jr., DanielSr.,Tyrone, andDer‐rickSmith,two sisters-inlaw Donnette Smithand Fredricka Patterson.Her familyand friendswillfor‐everrememberMyrtlefor her warmth,her dedication toher lovedones, andthe joy that shebrought to every life shetouched.Cel‐ebrationofLifefor Myrtle L.Smith (May 23, 1944Oct.5,2025) is Sat.,Oct.18, 2025 at D.W. Rhodes Fu‐neral Home,3933 Washing‐ton Ave.,New Orleans, LA 70125. Visitation 9:00 am Service 10:00 am.Mission‐ary Bro. Donald R. Hess, Jr

OfﬁciantRepast: 12 pm to 3 pmatMaisonBlanche Venue,10040 I10Service Rd , NewOrleans, LA 70127.

6, 2025. Anne waseducated inthe OrleansParish school system where she attended McDonough35 HighSchool graduating a yearearly.After high school Anne attended XavierUniversityofNew Orleans.Anne remained homeraising hersonsuntil startingelementaryschool beforebeginning acareer withthe federalgovern‐ment, initiallywithSmall BusinessAdministration helping numerous busi‐nesses’ getestablished Next, shetransferred to the Veterans Administra‐tionwhere sheas‐sisted/helped Veterans withEducational,Medical, HomeLoans,and other Beneﬁts forVeteransuntil her retirement to take care ofher parents. Anne was anactivememberofSt, Raymond/StLeo theGreat Catholic Church forover50 years.She served on the St. VincentDePaulministry assecretary andother or‐ganizations within the church fornumerousyears until herhealthstarted to slowdown. Shewas also a Big fan of JohnnyMathis. She leaves to cherishpre‐cious memories twosons, Errol MichaelYoung (Bar‐bara),Gregg Anthony Young (Sabra), onegrand‐son Shakir,one grand‐daughterSaﬁya,and three great grandchildren, Zariya, Zaniya,Zayvion Two sistersCarolyn (Curb) and Betty Craig(Barry), alsoa devotedlongtime FriendDoris Porter over 60 years.Annealsoleavesbe‐hinda host of nieces nephews,cousins,family friends andall theindivid‐ualsthatshe shared that smile andjovialspiritwith. She wasprecededindeath byher husband Edward M. Young Jr.(Brother, Blood) for almost 50 years, par‐ents, AaronBartley and LouiseBartley Jr., sisters MaxineOusley(William) Isabel Johnson(Charles), in-laws Edward andLaura Young Sr., sister-In-law Idella Carter,in-laws Mr and Mrs. LouisDandridge Sr.,and aspecial friend PaulFrancisco.Relatives and friendsofthe family, alsoPriestand parish‐ionersofSt. Raymond& St Leo Catholic Church arein‐vited to attend theMassof Orleans, LA 70122. Youmay

sign theguest book on www.gertrudegeddeswilli s.com. Gertrude Geddes Willis FuneralHomeInc., in charge(504) 522-2525.

John K. Young,age 65, nativeofLafayette,LAand residentofHouma,LA, passedawaypeacefully on Friday, October3,2025. He leavestocherish hismem‐ories,his wife LindaCastle Young,his children,Destini Young,NekeishaCastle and JaquintonCelestin; his siblings, Denise Young Yvette Mouton,Josephine Williams,JosephMouton, Jr. andJames Siner. He is precededindeath by his parents,JosephMoutonSr. and LouellaMouton; grandparents, Willis Young Sr. andRitaYoung and RoseWoods andMilton Paddio, andnephew Michael Landry.Johnwas a drugcounselor anda memberofResidence Bap‐tistChurch.Relatives and friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to theCelebration of LifeService on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at Resi‐dence BaptistChurch,2605 Isaac St Houma, LA 70363 at10:00 am.Visitationfrom 9:00amto10:00 am.Inter‐mentfollowing in Resi‐dence BaptistChurch Cemetery, 3842 LA Hwy. 56, Houma,LA. Gertrude Ged‐des Willis-Terrebonne Fu‐neral Home is in charge of arrangements. Youmay signthe guestbookon www.gertrudegeddeswilli s.com. Gertrude Geddes Willis-Terrebonne Funeral Home, Inc. in charge (985) 872-6934.

DEATHS continued from Smith, DebraMcBride

Smith, Myrtle L.

Young,JohnK

Young,Anne Bartley

‘I’ve

Saints WR Olaveaddresses ‘terrible’ dropsvs. Patriots

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

In some respects, last week’sgame against the New England Patriotswas the best of the season for New OrleansSaintswidereceiver ChrisOlave.

He continued to be afocal point forthe Saintspassingattack, he ﬁnally hauled in an explosive play,henearly cracked the 100-yard mark for the ﬁrst time thisseason There was some good to take away fromit. Unfortunately

Garner, Brunocould be huge for Tulane vs. Army

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

St. Augustine graduate Jah’rie Garner and John Curtis alumDagan Bruno faced each other in highschool when the Patriots won 28-21 on their waytothe 2022 select Division Istate championship.

Three years later,they could be the two most significant homegrown products on the roster if Tulane (5-1, 2-0 American Conference) beats Army (3-3,2-2) on Saturday at YulmanStadium (11 a.m., ESPNU). Garner,aredshirt sophomore rush end, is coming off abreakthrough performance against East Carolina in which he played 60 snaps andmadeseventackles, earning co-defensive player of the game honors from the Green Wave coachesalong with cornerback E’Zaiah Shine. Bruno, aredshirtfreshman walk-on attending schoolonalegislative scholarship, is replicating Army’sunder-center tripleoptionoffenseasascout-teamquarterback He is uniquely qualified for that roleafter running asimilar system with fantasticsuccess in John Curtis’ssplit-back veer Neither player was likely on anyone’sradar outsideofthe program as recently asa week ago, but coach Jon Sumrallloves both of them. Garner had zerogame action in three of the past four years entering the season.He sat out his junioryear at St. Augustinein 2021 because of transfereligibility issues after leaving John Ehret. He committed to Tulane under former coach Willie Fritz’s staff as an unheralded recruit in thesummer of 2022, holding firm despite receiving an offer from Ole Miss, andredshirted in 2023. He then tore an ACLduringspring practice in 2024. Before Saturday,hehad two tackles through fivegames in hisreturn this year With afew players at his position slowedby injuries, he excelled in his first real opportunity “Y’all probably get tired of me saying better people make better players, butJah’Rie is an unbelievable person,” Sumrall said.“I

Former St. Augustine linebacker Jah’Rie

Garner sacks Holy Cross’Cole Canatella on fourth down during their game on Oct.8, 2022, at TadGormleyStadium.Garner could be akey playerfor Tulane vs. Army

“Thedrops turned my game allthe way down,” Olave said. Olave had apair of crucial drops against thePatriots —one that would have been a somewhat difﬁcult catch near thepylon in the end zone on thirddown, and another more routine play late in thegameonsecond and 7asthe Saintswere trying to put together a go-ahead drive in theclosing minutes That last drop set up athirddown that New

got to do abetterjob’

Orleans didnot convert. TheSaintspunted the ball away and never got it back in a25-19 loss.

Thursday,Olave addressed his performancefor the firsttimesince thegame ended, and while he was happy with some aspects of theway he played, he did not make anyexcuses forthe bigmoments where he came up short.

“Itwas tough, man,” Olave said. “You take outafew plays, it wasagreat game but thosefew plays were terrible. It’sa tough situation. Alot of opportunities that we’ve gottotakeadvantage of,especially on my part. I’ve gottodoabetter job.”

ä See SAINTS, page 5C

PASSINGGRADE

It’shard to believe, but faster than BarionBrown, the LSUfootball season has raced to the midway point. The Tigers are ranked No. 10 in the country,just one notch below where they werepicked in the preseason AP poll, are5-1 and 2-1 in the Southeastern Conference. And yet,there is apalpable sense among LSU fans and across the college football landscape that the Tigers have underachieved heading into Saturday’sunexpected top-20 matchup at No. 17 Vanderbilt (5-1, 1-1) at 11 a.m. on ABC. Just how good —orbad —have the Tigers really been? We gradethe Tigers and post their marks on our midseason report card.

QUARTERBACK: B Garrett Nussmeier’snumbers certainly haven’tbeen what they were through six games in 2024: 1,413 yards passing, nine touchdowns and ﬁve interceptions this season; 1,986 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptionsthrough six games this past season. Clearly hampered by injuries (knee, abs, now ankle), Nussmeier hasn’tbeen himself but appeared to turn acorner in this past Saturday’s20-10 win over South Carolina. He has been one tough customer and should be commended forthat.But,ashis two interceptions against theGamecocks attest,

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

his decision-making remains questionable at times and at least one turnover per gamebyNuss has to be baked intothe LSUequation.

RUNNING BACK: C Surprisingly,LSU has just 50 fewer net rushing yards compared to this point in 2024: 690 to 740. But theTigers’ running game feels like

much moreofananchor on the offense. Caden Durham has been adequate at best, and LSU has had to rely on converted quarterback Ju’Juan Johnson and receivers like Zavion Thomas and Browntohelp cover deﬁciencies. The run game was markedly improved against South Carolina, but is this trend or aberration?

WIDERECEIVERS: C+

LSU has adeep enough receiver corps to absorb aleader like Aaron Anderson sitting out this past game with an injury.Overall, the Tigers

See RABALAIS, page 4C

BIRMINGHAM,Ala. Oneofthe LSU women’s basketball team‘s returning guards spent most of her timelastseason on the wing. Now, Kailyn Gilbert is trying something new Coach Kim Mulkey said Wednesday at SECmedia days that the senior is playing point guardinbitsofpreseason practices, as the No. 5Tigers try to figure out which guards will begin the year as their new primary ballhandlers. “She wanted ashot at that,” Mulkey said. LSU hadtwo lead point guards last season. ShayeannDay-Wilsonstarted 21 games at that position,and Last-Tear Poa started 15. Both moved on after the year ended, leaving as part of aroster churn in which Mulkey and her staff brought in eight new players, and now theTigers are left with fourorfive guardswho canhandle the ball. There’sMiLaysiaFulwiley, thehighprofile transfer from South Carolina who’s getting the first crack at the starting point guard job. There’ssophomore Jada Richard. There’sDivine Bourrage, the highly rated freshman from Iowa. Mikaylah Williams can run the point in apinch too, as sheshowedasasophomore,and now, so canGilbert —the 5-foot-8 shot creatorwho hit two game-winning shots last season.

“(Gilbert) won alot of ballgames forus late,” Mulkey said, “because she has an ability to take you off the dribble in oneon-one. But (she) sometimes has to under-

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

Scott Rabalais

Saints WR Chris Olave AP PHOTO

STAFFFILE PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

LSU defensivecoordinator and linebackers coach BlakeBaker speaks with hisplayers during atimeout in the second half of agameagainst Louisiana Tech on Sept.6 at TigerStadium

Dodgers beat Brewers for 3-0 lead

BY BETH HARRIS AP sportswriter

LOS ANGELES

Tommy Edman

hit a tiebreaking single off hardthrowing rookie Jacob Misiorowski in a two-run sixth inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Thursday to take a 3-0 lead in their NL Championship Series Los Angeles moved within one win of becoming the first defending champion to reach the World Series since the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies. No team has won consecutive titles since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees took three in a row Game 4 is Friday The only one of the 41 teams that overcame a 3-0 postseason deficit was the 2004 Boston Red Sox against the Yankees, sparked by current Dodgers manager Dave Roberts Shohei Ohtani tripled off Andy Ashby to start the bottom of the first and scored on Mookie Betts’ double to put the Dodgers ahead, but Jake Bauers tied the score with an RBI single in the second. That was the only run allowed by Tyler Glasnow, who has combined with Ohtani, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to give Dodgers starters a 1.54 postseason ERA during an 8-1 postseason spurt.

Misiorowski replaced Ashby with two on and one out in the ﬁrst, and struck out Edman and Teoscar Hernández. The 23-yearold right-hander topped 100 mph

with 17 pitches and struck out a Brewers postseason rookie record nine, but his fastball velocity dropped to 98-99 mph slightly in the sixth.

Will Smith singled with one out on an slider in the middle of the strike zone and Freddie Freeman walked after falling behind 1-2 in the count. Edman, who had struck out twice against Misiorowski, lined a low slider into center, and Smith scored for a 2-1 lead as Sal Frelick made a week throw Abner Uribe relieved and struck out Hernández, then made a wild pickoff throw past ﬁrst as Freeman scored, the second straight game with an error by the Brewers closer Glasnow allowed three hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings while striking out eight, leaving to a standing ovation from the crowd of 51,251. Alex Vesia followed Glasnow and got two outs for his second win of the playoffs.

Roki Sasaki pitched a perfect ninth for his third save of the postseason, ﬁnishing a four-hitter Dodgers relievers allowed one hit of 3 1/3 innings. Milwaukee, which swept the Dodgers 6-0 during the regular season, has lost its last 10 postseason road games dating to 2018.

The Brewers have three runs and nine hits in the series, and dating to the Division Series ﬁnale the Dodgers are the ﬁrst team to allow no runs or one run and four hits or fewer in four straight postseason games.

Pels show promise in ﬁnal preseason game

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans started slow but eventually got going against the Orlando Magic in their final preseason game on Thursday at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida.

The Pelicans struggled on defense and with shooting in the ﬁrst quarter, but improved throughout the game The Pelicans outscored the Magic in both the second and third quarters but opted to pull their starters before the fourth quarter and ultimately fell short 132-125.

The Magic led the Pelicans for most of the way until a 3-pointer from Jordan Hawkins in the third quarter gave the Pelicans a 1-point lead. Jordan Poole hit a 3-pointer in the third that resulted in the Pelicans new point guard leading the team with 21 points. Poole and Trey Murphy each had multiple 3-pointers for the Pelicans Murphy scored 18 points with four 3-pointers, and Zion Williamson matched Murphy with 18 points of his own.

Williamson scored the majority of his points in the paint, adding five rebounds, four assists and one steal while shooting 9 of 11 from the ﬁeld. Williamson failed

Hill

to draw a foul despite his presence down low, which included a windmill dunk in the second quarter

Murphy had a windmill dunk of his own and shot 7 of 14 from the field with five rebounds and two assists. Poole finished 7 of 15 from the field with two 3-pointers, two assists and one steal.

The Pelicans’ starting lineup against the Magic consisted of Poole, Murphy, Williamson, Herb Jones and Yves Missi, who played over 20 minutes each. Missi ﬁnished with six points and seven rebounds, and Jones had seven points, two rebounds and two steals.

Three Pelicans scored double-digit points off the bench. Hawkins ﬁnished with 15 points and two 3-pointers on 6 of 11 shooting, and rookie guard Jeremiah Fears was 5 of 12 from the ﬁeld with 16 points.

The Pelicans struggled to contain Magic forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner Wagner

ﬁnished with a team-high 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting, and Banchero added 19 points while shooting 6 of 11 from the ﬁeld

The Magic let their starters play longer than the Pelicans, with Banchero playing a game-high 30 minutes. Poole played 25 min-

utes, which was the most of any Pelicans player

The Pelicans were without veterans Dejounte Murray and Kevon Looney along with rookie Derik Queen, because of injuries Veteran forward Saddiq Bay was rested. The Pelicans conclude the preseason with a 2-2 record, having

won their ﬁrst two games overseas against teams from Australia but falling to the Rockets and the Magic, who ﬁnish with a 4-0 preseason record.

The Pelicans will play their ﬁrst 2025-26 regular season game on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies.

didn’t have to ask Spoelstra to be Olympic

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

MIAMI — At a dinner in Miami back in August, across the street from the arena where the Heat play their games, USA Basketball men’s national team managing director Grant Hill had a question for Erik Spoelstra. Hill wasn’t even done asking before Spoelstra gave his answer

“I’m in,” Spoelstra said. With that, USA Basketball had its next Olympic coach. Hill didn’t have to ﬁnish asking the question Everybody knew the deal was done And now the process of getting ready for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics can officially begin Spoelstra — who was announced as coach earlier this week and Hill sat side-by-side on Thursday,

USA Basketball pins on the left lapel of their blue suit jackets, starting to lay out the plan toward what they hope is more gold for the U.S.

“We got our guy,” Hill said.

Spoelstra had some of his family — his sister and his three children — at the news conference, along with USA Basketball executives Jim Tooley and Sean Ford, Heat President Pat Riley, Heat CEO Nick Arison and virtually the entire Heat coaching staff.

“I understand the expectations and the responsibility of this position,” Spoelstra said.

If he didn’t understand, Heat players crashed the news conference to make sure he understood.

Heat captain Bam Adebayo has been part of the last two Olympic gold medal wins for the U.S., and he and many other teammates were waving small American

ﬂags and chanted “U-S-A!” much to Spoelstra’s delight. Adebayo has said he wants to play in the 2027 World Cup and 2028 Olympics as well.

“Spo’s a genius,” Adebayo said.

Spoelstra worked his way through the USA Basketball ranks, first as the coach of the select team that helped the Olympic team that Gregg Popovich coached to gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021, then as an assistant under Steve Kerr for the World Cup in 2023 and the Paris Games in 2024. His ties to USA Basketball extend even beyond that; Spoelstra went to multiple camps with Olympic teams when Heat players like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh were part of U.S. rosters.

“Coach Spoelstra represents everything we strive to be,” Hill said.

FIFA announces over 1M tickets sold for World Cup

MIAMI More than 1 million tickets have already been sold for next year’s World Cup, FIFA said Thursday in its first update on numbers since the ofﬁcial start of sales began earlier this month.

The highest demand, as would be expected, was from buyers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico — the three nations that will play host to the tournament FIFA said people from 212 different countries and territories have already purchased, even though only 28 of the 48 spots in the ﬁeld have been ﬁlled.

Rounding out the top-10 countries in terms of tickets purchased already: England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina and France, in order, FIFA said. The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19.

Spurs forward Sochan to miss season opener

SAN ANTONIO Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan will miss San Antonio’s season opener at Dallas on Wednesday with a sprained left wrist.

Sochan was injured at practice Wednesday during a five-on-five drill as he neared a return from a strained calf.

Sochan injured his calf in August while practicing with the Polish national team. The calf injury forced him to miss the EuroBasket tournament as well as San Antonio’s preseason schedule.

San Antonio will also open the season without De’Aaron Fox, who is rehabilitating a strained hamstring. The Spurs said Fox and Sochan are both expected to return by the second or third game of the season.

Indiana, Cignetti agree on 8-year contract extension

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana announced a new eight-year contract with coach Curt Cignetti worth at least $92.8 million on Thursday rewarding him for pushing the Hoosiers into national championship contention in just two seasons.

The school said the average annual compensation for Cignetti will be approximately $11.6 million and the contract runs through Nov. 30, 2033. Cignetti is 17-2 since arriving from James Madison, with his only losses coming last year against Ohio State and Notre Dame teams that ended up in the College Football Playoff championship game. The Hoosiers (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) advanced to the CFP for the ﬁrst time last year and are on that path again this season with a No. 3 national ranking that is the highest in program history

Lowry leads in New Delhi with McIlroy five shots back

NEW DELHI Shane Lowry ran off ﬁve straight birdies on the back nine and then got up-and-down for birdie on the 18th hole Thursday for an 8-under 64, giving him a one-shot lead over Keita Nakajima in the DP World India Championship.

Rory McIlroy decided to leave the driver out of his golf bag at tight, tree-lined Delhi Golf Club. He had a collection of bogeys and birdies and settled on a 69 in the inaugural tournament.

Lowry returned from his Ryder Cup heroics at the Spanish Open last week by missing the cut. Another week into the closing stretch of the season seemed to suit him much better, particularly his iron play and putter

coach

Spoelstra decided to take the job only after seeing how much USA Basketball welcomes family; he had his kids with him in Paris. Making commitments for both the summer of 2027 and summer of 2028 — always busy times for kids — wouldn’t have happened if his family couldn’t be along for the ride.

“The culture of family within USAB is simply remarkable,” Spoelstra said. “The experience that we had as a family at the Olympics will be memories that we’ll have for the rest of our lives.

So, I couldn’t be more thrilled about this opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”

Also not lost on Spoelstra: He’s the first Filipino-American who will have this role.

“That’s America, right?” Spoelstra said.

ITF to change name to World Tennis in 2026

LONDON The International Tennis Federation will change its name to “World Tennis” as of 2026. The switch was ratiﬁed Thursday by member national tennis associations voting at the governing body’s annual general meeting.

“The change will provide a clearer identity that is more relevant to players, fans, partners and tennis stakeholders around the world, and brings the brand in line with a majority of sport’s most prominent global governing bodies,” the ITF said in a statement.

ITF president David Haggerty added: “World Tennis better reﬂects who we are today; the global governing body and guardian of tennis.”

Founded as the International Lawn Tennis Federation in Paris in 1913, the organization became the International Tennis Federation in 1977.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones drives past Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane during the second half of a preseason game on Thursday in Orlando, Fla.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after a triple against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday in Los Angeles.

THE VARSITYZONE

Cajuns taking ﬂight

CountryDay soarswithhigh-scoringpassing offense, just as thenew

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Country Day seniorHudson Wright had one question forBen Powell when the school was in the process of selecting anewfootball coach in the spring.

Now in the fall,Wright has found Powell to be aman of his word —especially with how the Powell-coached Cajuns have created afast-paced and high-scoring offense that is tough for teamsto keeppace with for 48 minutes

Country Day (4-2, 1-0 District 10-2A) has averaged betterthan 56 points in the four gamessince Wright returned from aconcussion that caused him to miss the ﬁrst two weeks of the season.

The Cajuns are getting plentyof production from returning wideouts GeorgeBlessey and Cameron Henry along withrunningback Justin Drago, plus wideouts Kellen Brewer and sophomoreCurtis McAllister after the pair helped Country Day win abasketball state championship in March. Wright is in histhird seasonas astarter at quarterback, butthis easilyhas been his most productive one yet with 24 touchdown passes, including seven thrown each of the past two games—all while averaging nearly 380 yards passing per game.

“I knew we were going to have an opportunitytobeexplosive on offense,” Wright said.

When CountryDay drew close to hiring Powell, who coached Haynes Academy to an undefeatedregularseason last year, Wright wanted to know whattype of offense the Cajuns would run.

“Wehad ameeting withhim before we even hired him and that

WEEK 7FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

wasmyquestionpersonally,ishe going to run the Wing-T like he didatHaynes, becausethat’s not the mostfun for aquarterback andwide receivers,” Wright said aboutthe run-based offense that does not include many pass plays.

“He let us know we’re going to be an air-it-outoffense. He said we hada lot ofweapons. So, we knew from the jump we were going to be throwing theball alot this year.”

Country Day practiced thenew offense in the spring, but things really started to take offduring thesummer while at the 7-on7passing league hosted by St. Charles in LaPlace.

“I would say it was our second Wednesday out there,” Powell said. “He just had aknack for ﬁnding the open guy,and when

at Memtsas, 11 a.m. Young Audiences vs.Thomas Jefferson at Memtsas,3 p.m. Open date: South Plaquemines

the open guy is not there, keeping plays alive. He’s got alittleJohnny Football to him about running around and kind of keeping things going even when they’re not there initially.”

During the summer was when Wright “got the conﬁdence that we were going to be areally good team passing the ball,” he said.

McAllister,whose father is former Saints great Deuce McAllister,said Country Day had “one of the best 7-on-7 teamsinthe state.”

“A lot of that success transitioned to the regular games,” McAllister said.

Wright and McAllister helped persuade Brewer and Herm Dyson from the basketball team to play football for theﬁrst time, and their difference has been felt with Brewer on offense and Dyson on defense.

“I think that’sbecome part of our identity,” Powell said. “In basketball, you don’tworry about it until the end of the fourthquarter and you know that’swhatit’sgoing to come down to.

“Our kids stay calm, they don’t get frazzled, they just keep playingand things start breaking loose for them.”

Wright said he always believed he could thrive in an air-it-out passing offense like he has this season.

“Obviously Ihad full conﬁdence in myself since Day 1, but in 7-on7I got to show my full ability maybe against some real competition,” he said. “I thinkinseven-onseven we showed alot of what we can do.”

Powell also saw Wrightfor how well he canthrowthe football.

“Wehad areally good quarterback who hadbeen in maybe more of ahand-it-off type of offense,” Powell said. “Wejust felt like (the passing offense)ﬁthis skillset.”

Country Day is riding athreegamewinning streak and is one win away frommatching its highestregular-season win total (ﬁve) since it posteda 10-0 record in 2018. The Cajuns have ahome game Friday against SarahT.Reed before facing reigning Division IV nonselect state champion South Plaqueminesnext week followed by reigning districtchampion Newman.

Asked about what his team can achieve this season, Wrightsaid, “A state championship. Ithink we’re made forit.”

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Daviss leadsAOLtosweep of BelleChasse

BYCHRISTOPHERDABE Staff writer

Lillian Daviss has beena key volleyball player for AcademyofOur Lady since she joined the varsity team as afreshman.

The 5-foot-10senior celebrated reaching 1,000 career kills early in the season, and the latestachievement came Thursday with athreeset sweep of Belle Chasse for the third yearinarow —a25-16,2521, 25-15 victory that clinchedthe district championship.

“Wealways talk about thatat the beginning of the season,”said Daviss, who had 10 kills withone ace and nine digs in the homewin. “Our ﬁrst goal is to windistrict. After that we can focus on state.” AOL (30-3) began the match at No. 7inthe LHSAA Division II

power ratings, three spots ahead of No. 10 BelleChasse(19-9) —meaning those teams could meet again in the second round of the playoffs if thoseseedingsholdthroughthe end of the season. The teams metinapreseason scrimmage, something the AOL girlstalked about beforethe match.

“Wekind of didn’tplay thatwell,” Daviss said aboutthe scrimmage in August. “Wecame in here like, ‘They’re going tothinkthey’re going to beat us, so we have to come in here and play more and play better.’ Ithink with all our hard work, we were able to accomplish that.”

Sophomore Zhoey Johnson (six kills,ﬁve aces, 12digs) sparked AOL with four consecutive aces that put the Penguins ahead for good earlyinthe ﬁrst set

The second set gotclose when

Belle Chasse trimmed an eightpoint deﬁcit to three but twice got whistled for adouble-hit violation and once for touching the net.

AOL trailed the third setuntil Kaitlynn Riley(eight kills,two blocks) put down akill that tied thescore at 10-all and alifting violation put thePenguins ahead for good. Successive blocks by Rehanna Franklin cappedthe 6-0 run that put AOL ahead by three points.

Therally in the third set was the latest of many for coach Don Landry’steam. “We’ve been down so many times, and we always seem to ﬁnd away to crawlbackinit,”saidLandry, whose team reached the Division II state quarterﬁnals last season.

For Belle Chasse, thematch was thelatest in which the Cardinals were not at full strength.

Coach Stephenie Andrews said middle blocker Abigail Nelson did not play theﬁnal twosets because of aknee sprain. Madelyn Rehrig had eight kills and one block.

“AOL obviously hasa great group of athletes,” Andrews said. “They swung hard, and theyblocked alot of balls from us. They blocked alot of our outside hitter balls,sowehad to try to makeadjustments to tryto roll the ball and put some balls in corners and things likethat.” Andrews said her team has held the No. 10 spot in the powerratings “forthe last twomonths, it feels like,” andwith AOL at No.7,“we know what to expect” if the teams meet again, she said.

“Wejust got to ﬁx afew things,” she said, “and make sure that we put up more blocks and are able to adjust.”

BY CHARLESODUM AP sportswriter

ATHENS,Ga. ANo. 5ranking in theAPTop 25 confirms coach Lane Kiffin’sassessment that Ole Miss has “done some good things” this season.

Kiffin saysfindingaway to win on Saturday at No. 9Georgia would take thatprogress to another level.

“You know, this is theelite,” said Kiffin of Georgia (5-1,3-1 Southeastern Confere nce ). “This isn’tcoachspeak,It’sstats, or facts. This is the elite programincollege football.”

Ole Miss (6-0, 3-0) took a28-10 homewin over Georgia last season. Kifﬁnsaid winning at Georgia is moredifﬁcult.

Georgia had a33-gamehome winning streak under coach Kirby Smart end with a24-21 loss to then-No. 17 Alabama on Sept.27. It wasthe Bulldogs’ ﬁrst home loss since 2019.

Georgia, which wonback-toback national championshipsin 2021 and2022, is 10-0 at home against top-10 teams under Smart.

“There’sanother step that’s, you know,can yougobeat an elite programlike we were able to do last year in Georgia, but now do it at their place?” Kifﬁn said. “So it’sagreat opportunity.”

The Bulldogs reliedondominant defense to winthe national championships. This year’s team has earned areputation for toughness, including from quarterback Gunner Stockton.

ResilientDogs

Smart likes his team’sability to be resilient, including in last week’s20-10 win at Auburn when Georgia trailed 10-0.

“Wehaven’tstarted real well at times,and that can be attributed to alot of factors, but we have playedreally physical and out-conditioned and out-executed teamsdownthe wire,which is agreat traittohave,” Smart said. “But we’ve certainly got to play better earlier in games.”

LeaningonChambliss

The Rebels also showed comeback skills last weekasquarterback Trinidad Chamblissthrew fortwo touchdowns and ran foranother score in a24-21 win over Washington State. Ole Miss trailed 14-10 late in the third quarter

Smart said Chambliss is an “explosive”dual-threat challenge.

“He’squick, he’sfast, he’s tough, he’sgot great lower body, great instincts,” Smart said. “There’s adifferenceinbeing a fast guy and being arunner.He’s patient behind blocks, quick when he needs to be. Someguys can only run perimeter runs well, somecan only run internal well. He runs both.”

Badmemory

Ole Miss fans surgedonto theirhome ﬁeld following last season’swin over the Bulldogs.

Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson saidthat memoryprovides motivation forSaturday

“I feel like the players that returnedthatplayedlastseason have achip on their shoulder,so you could say that,” Wilson said. Big-gameatmosphere

ESPN’s“College Gameday” will be in Athens for the matchup.

“Thisisone of the games why you transfer here, to play in these biggames,” said Ole Miss wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling, a transfer from Oklahoma State who led the Rebels withsix receptions for 63 yards in last week’s win over Washington State.

Master P’smission to rebuild UNOhoops starts Saturday

The University of New Orleans unofﬁcially opens its 55th basketball season on Saturday at 1p.m.

Alabama, Tennessee featurepotentoffenses

KENNINGTON LLOYD SMITH III

Associated Press

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. Playing for his third school in fouryears, Alabama receiver Germie Bernard needed just afew words to sumupthe rivalry known as the “Third Saturday in October.”

ated alopsided advantage forAlabama, which leads the series 6040-7. The Volunteers, though, are seeking back-to-back wins forthe ﬁrst timesince 2003-04 as well as three wins in four years for the ﬁrst timesince 2003-06. Secondariescould be strained Alabama has one the top passing defenses in the SEC, aunit that allows 135.7 yards agame and ranks second in the league. But theTidehaven’tfaced an aerial attack like Tennessee. The Volunteers lead the SEC in passing, averaging317.8 yards agameand are the only team in the league with three receivers rankedinthe topseven in yards: Chris Brazzell II (536 yards, 7 TDs), Brandon Staley (431, 2 TDs)and Mike Matthews (416, 2 TDs).

On the other side,Tennessee will be short-handed again as star cornerbacksJermod McCoyand Rickey Gibson are out. The Vols allowthe most passingyards in theleague(257.8) and nowface Bernard andAlabama star Ryan Williams.

The Privateers will play an exhibition game against Sacramento State at Lakefront Arena, and this won’tbe your typical scrimmage. The Southwest Shootout,asit is being called, will be a star-studded affair with UNO hoops generalmanagerPercy “Master P” Miller in attendance alongwith Sacramento State front men, Shaquille O’Neal (general manager) and Mike Bibby (head coach).

Local hip-hop artists Teezy and Mr.Trip Out will entertain the crowd withahalftime show

The famed Marching 100 band from St. Augustine High School will perform throughoutthe game And more than 4,000 students from area middle schools are expected to attend.

“This is bigger than basketball,” said Miller,who is in his ﬁrst year as UNO’spresident of basketball operations and is known as Coach Pinside the program.

Fans will also notice aconspicuous piece of new hardware. A large video board will hang above midcourt, agift from MasterP himself.It’sthe ﬁrst center-hung video board in the arena intwo decades. The old one was damaged during Hurricane Katrina and was never replaced.

Pdidn’tsay how much thevideo boardcost but said he would use funds from his appearance at Funk Fest this week to offset the hefty price tag.

“I just felt like, 20 years, it’s time for change, we got to make this happen,” he said. “Wecan’t

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was heartbroken for him when he had his injury.Ihad no doubt that his response would be the way it’s been. He was an absolute machine through the rehab process. He’sjustthe kind of guy you like being around every day.” When he got hurt, Garner refused to processitimmediately.Hesaidhe heard apop and asnap as he planted his foot, falling to the ground. Instead of staying down, he rose and ran down the ﬁeld as if nothing was wrong, even though he knew it was bad.

The reality of alost year setin quickly

“Truly the hardest part was getting in the training room every day and knowing your team’sout there grinding and you can’tbeout there with them,” he said. “I play for the love of football. Now that I’m able to perform, Ijust give it my all because it could be over on one snap.”

Playing forhis hometownschool means everything to him.

“I want to be an inspiration to my family,” he said. “I want my nephew to see he can be anything he wants to be.Being able to putonfor my last name and my family is an unbelievable feeling.”

Defending Bruno in practice this week has been like old timesfor him and something he sayswill help tremendously on Saturday because

do the entertainment things that some of the other major universities could do, but this will help us attract more high-level athletes that want to come and play for the University of New Orleans.”

Few understand the power of marketing and entertainment better than Master P. The New Orleansnative was raised in the B.W. Cooper housing complex and attended Booker T. Washington and Warren Easton high schools. He built alegendary hip-hop empire out of arecord store in Richmond, California, with $10,000 he obtained from a malpractice settlement after his grandfather died.

In tryingtorebuild UNO basketball, Master Pisapplying thesame businessprinciplesthat helped him build NoLimit intoone of the most powerfulbrands in themusic industry.Give customers bang for their buck. Catch and hold their attention with ﬂashy graphics and artwork. Stay real, i.e., true to your culture. Promoteand market the product relentlessly

“I don’tknowthat Ican overstate the impact that he’shad,” said UNO basketball coach Stacy Hollowell, adding, pun intended. “There’snolimit towhat he can do to helpus. It’sexciting.”

Master Pand Hollowell have taken a“Broken Windows theory” approach to the task at hand. The Privateers won just four games last season and are projected to ﬁnish no better than mid-pack in theSouthland Conference race this season Before they become winners on thecourt, theidea is to look andfeel —like winners off it. The rebuildingjob has started from the ground up—literally Amongthe physical improvementstothe basketball facilities inside thearena is an overhauled locker room, including anew

epoxy ﬂoor.The practice gym, ﬁlm room and hallways have been jazzed up with new paint and logos.

“We’ve come along way,” Miller said. “It’s not going to be about winning right now.We’rebuilding something.”

Hollowell is eager to see his second UNO team in action. Standout sophomore forward MJ Thomas is joined by ahost of newcomers, led by standout guards Jakevion Buckley and Coleton Benson. The Privateers also have imported abevy of big men, including two 7-footers.

“You never know about ateam until you start playing game,” he said. “We’re moving in the right direction.”

Hollowell has an appreciation for the history of UNObasketball.He grew up in Mandeville and spent adecade at Loyola, where he was named the NAIA Coach of the Year after leading the Loyola Wolfpack to the 2020-2021 national title.

He and Miller remember going to UNO games as teenagers in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, when the Privateers were apowerhouse under coach TimFloyd. UNO was aregular NCAA Tournament participant, and Lakefront Arena was often packed to therafters.

“It was the Lake Show,” Miller said. “Wearen’tthe Lakers, but I want to get it back to that.”

There are major hurdles to clear,tobesure. The Privateers have had just one winning season in the past six years. The athletic departmenthas one of the smallest budgets in Division I. And UNO needed alifeline from LSU to essentially keep thelights on. Thisisnot an overnight job. It will take time and alot of effort to rebuild the program.But Hollowell and Master Phave track records of success. You’d be wisenot to doubt either of them or UNO hoops.

of Bruno’sability to simulateArmy quarterbacks Cale Hellumsand Dewayne Coleman. Ayear ago, Sumrall singled out Bruno for his excellent prep work afterTulaneshutout option-based Navy,and he expects more of the samethis week.

“It’s freaking awesome,” Sumrall said. “He knows how to do this look. It’sabig-time help.”

Typically,threeorfour scout-team quarterbacks split timepreparing the defense for an opponent. This week,ithas been almost allBruno, who was named most outstanding player in JohnCurtis’s23-0 2022 state championship gamevictory

“I knowhow to be tough andhow to give the scout team agood look,” he said. “My role is elevated this week, so youtake itmore seriously andwatch your ﬁlm. It’s all about the footwork andthe timing of the motion where everymotion lookshow they (the Black Knights) run in the game.”

After his senior year at John Curtis in 2023, Bruno was set to play for Northwestern State when Tulane offensive coordinator Joe Craddock called with arecruiting pitch. Their conversation led to him ﬁnding out about afull-ride legislative scholarship andhis decision to be awalk-on with theWave.

“I loveithere,” he said. “Every day they giveyou achance to get better and keep developing. Coming from Curtis, you might have as much collegereadiness as some of these other quarterbacks, but I’m really developingasatruequarterback right now.”

“This is what you come to Alabamafor,” Bernard said. The sixth-ranked Crimson Tide and No. 11 Tennessee meetfor the 108th timeinone of the Southeastern Conference’smost stories series Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, ashowdown that includes leagueand CollegeFootball Playoff implications. Offenses areatthe forefront of this iteration, with both teams coming in with momentum on thatsideofthe ball. The Volunteers(5-1, 2-1 SEC) are outpacing their historic2022 season through sixgames,averaging48.2points agame behind quarterback Joey Aguilar Fast starts have beenUT’s trademark, with theVolshaving scored on their opening possession in every game this season —four touchdowns and two ﬁeld goals. In Tuscaloosa, quarterback Ty Simpson has emerged as aHeismanTrophy frontrunner.He’s playingarguably the best football in thecountry,completing 71% of his passes with 16 touchdowns and one interception. And with offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb calling plays, Alabama(5-1,3-0) is averaging38.4pointsa game since its Week 1loss at Florida State. The quarterbacks might need to do more with both team’s starting running backs banged up. Tennessee’sDeSean Bishop, who ran for acareer-high 146yards lastweek against Arkansas, is probable to play.Alabama’sJam Miller, meanwhile, is listed as questionable. Alabama is an 81/2-point favorite, according to BetMGM.

CanTennessee take hold of rivalry?

A15-year win streak under Nick Saban between 2007 and 2022 cre-

Turnover margin is thekey Tennessee’sdefense is near the bottom in the SEC in yards (383.8) and points (29.3) but thrive in creating havoc. The Volunteersare ﬁrst in the SEC andsecondnationally in sacks (26) andare thirdinthe SEC in takeaways(11) Tennessee forced four fumbles, recovered three, last week againstArkansas. Conversely Alabamahas turned the ball over just twice this season, the third fewest in the country

“Weneed to win the turnover battle,first of all,”Volscoach Josh Heupelsaid. “(Simpson)’s been great withthe football, really sound in his decision-making. Youhave to apply pressure to the quarterback. That’sapart of creating turnovers.

“You have to do agreat job of matching out and making plays on the back end too, and we have to put our helmet on thefootball, get some punches tooand try to knock it outthat way.”

RABALAIS

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have not been as explosive as needed or expected. Nussmeier’shealthand asluggish running gameleading opponents to drop aton of players into coverage has madeitdifﬁcult for receivers to ﬁndspace. Thereisroom for optimism, however,especially withthe emergence of Thomas and Kyle Parker

TIGHT ENDS: B Trey’Dez Green,when healthy, hasarguably been LSU’sbest player, witha catch radius that would make Tigers outﬁelderDerek Curiel envious. BauerSharp has been aproductive addition outofthe portal. It’sonly really Green’s missing two games and acouple of Sharp bobblesthatknock this group down aletter grade

OFFENSIVE LINE: C It lookslike I’m grading on acurve with this group, and maybe Iam, but bear with me. The O-line struggled to run block until this past Saturday, but the pass blocking hasbeen respectable. Nussmeier hashad to throw away afew balls under pressure, but he’s only been sacked seven times (1.17 per game).

Vandywill be atelling midseason exam for this group, which hasfought through chemistry issuesand multiple injuries.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B+ Amuchimproved group with theadditionoftransfers Jack Pyburn, Bernard Gooden andPatrickPayton Gabe Reliford (rotator cuff) is abig loss andGooden (bruised collarbone)isquestionable this week,sodepth is beingtested.But this group,other than ahandful of big runs, hasbeen abig improvementoverpastseasons.

LINEBACKERS: ATheWeeksbrothers(Whit andWest) have been rock solid, though Whit Weeksis questionable Saturdaywith what is presumedatthis point to be an ankle injury Harold Perkins, though a bit quieter thelastcouple of games, haslooked alot like his old self from 2022. And when LSUhas needed someonetoﬁll in, DavhonKeys hasbeen excellent

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A+ LSU went hard in theportal andgot stalwartslike AllAmerican candidate Mansoor Delaneatcornerback and AJ Haulcyand Tamarcus Cooley at safety. Returnees like cornerPJWoodland

andDashawn Spearshave also shined, andfreshman DJ Pickett hasshown an exceptional amount of upside Withoutadoubt,the most improvedgroup on theteam. SPECIAL TEAMS: AThe only slight knock here is that LSU’sreturn game has notbeen quiteasexplosive as hoped. The kickers have been on point:Damian Ramos (10 of 12 ﬁeld goals, 17 of 17 extrapoints) hasbeen solid andtransferpunter Grant Chadwick(tied for secondin theSEC with48.0 yards per attempt) hasbeen astellar ﬁnd.

COACHING: B There’s alot of criticism to go around on theoffensive staff, from playcaller Joe Sloan to O-line coach Brad Davis to Kelly himself. But, as we said at thetop, LSUis5-1 in themidst of a season-deﬁning stretch,so that deservessome kudosfor thebrain trust.Defensively, coordinator BlakeBaker and his assistants have been topnotch.Ifthe Tigers do make theCollege FootballPlayoff, thedefensive staffwill be a major reason why

For more LSUsports updates, signupfor ournewsletter at theadvocate.com/ lsunewsletter

STAFF FIL JOHN MCCUSKER

UNO president of basketball operations Percy‘Coach P’ Miller and coach Stacy Hollowell talk to playersduring practice on July 24 at Privateer Arena

Jeff Duncan

Kamara addresses recent trade rumors

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Alvin Kamara has been through this before, he understands the business side of things, but his stance has not changed.

The New Orleans Saints running back said again what he’s said many times before: For whatever it’s worth, New Orleans is where he wants to be.

With a 1-5 record, the Saints have been linked to several other teams in trades before the NFL’s Nov 4 trade deadline, and as has been the case in recent years, Kamara is a popular name on the rumor mill.

A report from NFL Network last week suggested Kamara had met with Saints general manager Mickey Loomis about the topic after other teams had called New Orleans to gauge their interest in moving their star running back.

Kamara laughed when that report was brought up in the Saints locker room Thursday afternoon

“We talked about and we were looking at each other like the little Spider-Man meme, like, ‘Did you say something? Did I say something?’

” Kamara said “I don’t know where that came from. But I don’t want to go anywhere, and I’ve said it countless times. Y’all know that, I think everybody knows that, the fan base knows that.”

Still, Kamara knows the decision isn’t exactly in his hands If the Saints decided to trade him, his stated desire to remain in New Orleans won’t be worth much.

Now in his ninth NFL season, Kamara has made ﬁve Pro Bowls as a member of the Saints and will likely surpass 12,000 yards from scrimmage this week against the Chicago Bears. No other player has recorded more than 10,000 scrimmage yards in a Saints uniform.

But the 30-year-old Kamara is also only signed through the 2026

season after a recent extension and may not be with the team by the time it reaches a competitive window again. He is set to count $18.57 million against the team’s 2026 salary cap If the Saints did make a move, he hopes he’d hear it from them.

“If I was a GM, I guess I would go to the player and say, ‘Hey, we’re trading you, just so you know,’ ” Kamara said. “So if Mickey comes down and says that, I’m going to go drink a piña colada somewhere.”

Allen on Saints

Even after he was ﬁred midway through last season, DennisAllen said he views his time in New Orleans fondly

“I spent 15 out of my 24 years in the league at that place,” the former Saints coach said.

But now the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, Allen said his focus is on the next game which just so happens to be against the black and gold.

So what does Allen think of his former team? Allen sees a squad that’s improving.

“They’re a good opponent,” Allen said. “This is a team that, as you watch the tape, they continue to get better They’ve got a lot of skilled position players that I think are really explosive: Receiver, tight end, runners, all those guys are good players.

“I think offensive line-wise, in

particular the right side of the offensive like, (Taliese) Fuaga, Eric McCoy in there at center, Cesar Ruiz at the right guard, ﬁrst-round pick at left tackle (in Kelvin Banks), moving Trevor Penning inside to guard, another ﬁrst-round pick.

“This is a team that has continued to improve in every single one of their games they’ve been in, in every single one of them.”

New Orleans’ most notable improvement, however, might be the quarterback that Allen had a hand in drafting. Spencer Rattler, a 2024 ﬁfth-round pick selected in Allen’s ﬁnal year as coach, has dramatically cut down on his turnovers, has improved his completion percentage

by more than 10 percentage points (57 to 68.5%) and reduced his sack rate from 8.8% to 5.1%.

“Yeah look, I think he’s doing a good job of getting rid of the ball,” Allen said of Rattler “When he’s able to get the ball out in rhythm and on timing, I think he’s been highly successful. Then the second thing that he’s been able to do is create a lot of things with his feet.

“His mobility is one of those factors that we’re going to have to take into account.”

Under Allen, the Bears’ defense has produced mixed results.

Though they’ve allowed the sixthmost points per game (28.2) and the second-most rushing yards per game (156.4), Chicago has produced the second-most turnovers in the league with 12. Chicago is also coming off its best win of the season, a “Monday Night Football” upset over the Washington Commanders.

Injury report

After missing Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury, Kamara was back on the practice field

Thursday

Kamara injured his ankle in the New Orleans Saints’ Week 5 win against the New York Giants. He was limited all of last week and was ofﬁcially questionable against the New England Patriots, but he played, rushing 10 times for 31 yards and adding ﬁve catches for 45 yards.

Kamara wasn’t the only player to return to the ﬁeld.

Defensive back Isaac Yiadom, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury was also back on the practice ﬁeld. Yiadom began the season as the Saints’ starting outside cornerback, but had been yielding snaps to rookie Quincy Riley before his injury

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Daniels, Commanders want out of a rut in visit to Dallas

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP pro football writer

ARLINGTON, Texas Jayden Dan-

iels is a bit terse these days with his Washington Commanders in a win-lose-win-lose rut, and Dallas owner Jerry Jones is as optimistic as ever despite the Cowboys so far squandering MVP-type play from Dak Prescott.

The NFC East rivals are at an early-season crossroads as the Commanders visit the Cowboys (2-3-1) on Sunday, with Daniels looking for a worthy encore to a fabulous rookie season that included a trip to the NFC championship game and a porous Dallas defense facing questions about how to keep a season from spiraling out of control.

“Our job is to ﬁnd solutions and that’s what this staff is committed to doing,” ﬁrst-year Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said “Whether we win or lose, we’re always looking for solutions. And that was the other message I said to the guys, we have to be solution-oriented. And that’s coach to coach coach to player player to player That’s how you win this league.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, left, celebrates connecting with wide receiver Luke McCaffrey for a touchdown during a game against the Chicago Bears on Monday in Landover, Md

The Commanders (3-3) are coming off a 25-24 loss to Chicago on a last-play ﬁeld goal set up by Dan-

Versatile running backs Robinson and McCaffrey face off in Falcons-49ers game

BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro football writer

SANTA CLARA. Calif. — Christian McCaffrey has long been the standard when it comes to dual-threat running backs in the NFL with his ability to run routes like a receiver on the outside as well as being able to thrive as a runner for the San Francisco 49ers.

McCaffrey has been surpassed early this season by his offseason training partner Bijan Robinson, who is off to a near record-setting start this season for Atlanta headed into the Falcons’ game Sunday night against McCaffrey and the 49ers.

“He’s amazing,” McCaffrey said. “When you see it in person, you realize why he is who he is.” The rest of the NFL is seeing what McCaffrey saw in the offseason and what the 49ers (4-2) must deal with this week. Robinson leads the NFL with 822 yards for the Falcons (3-2), the sixth most ever through ﬁve games. Robinson joined Thurman Thomas (1991) as the only play-

ers ever with at least 300 yards receiving and 450 yards rushing through five games and has a chance to join McCaffrey as one of four players with at least 1,000 of each in a full season.

“That’s a huge compliment,” McCaffrey said of comparisons to Robinson. “I watch him move, watching him make a lot of these plays and it’s inspiring. He’s deﬁnitely somebody that when you watch him play that any chance you get you can try to emulate some of the stuff he does.” Robinson needs 178 yards against the Niners to become the ﬁrst player since Marshall Faulk in 2000 to reach 1,000 scrimmage yards through six games He’s averaging 164.4 after rushing for 170 yards and catching six passes for 68 more in last week’s win over Buffalo.

Falcons coach Raheem Morris called Robinson “the best player in football,” but Robinson knows he still has plenty of work to do to achieve his goals.

“I don’t want to be the guy that’s saying I can’t be stopped,” he said. “That’s not who I am I’ve got to continue to get better every single day I have to con-

tinue to get better every single game, because when you start thinking you can’t be stopped or you’re the best player, then that’s when you start playing bad.”

QB questions

Quarterback Brock Purdy

returned to practice on a limited basis this week after missing the past two games for San Francisco with a toe injury But Mac Jones still got more work early in the week and is likely to make his ﬁfth start of the season although a ﬁnal decision hadn’t been made.

Ironman streak on the line

Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews has started 183 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the most in team history Matthews left Monday night’s game with an ankle injury and was listed as unavailable on the team’s estimated injury report on Wednesday, when they did not practice. Right guard Chris Lindstrom isn’t counting Matthews out.

“I’ve seen him overcome so many things,” Lindstrom said. “He’s a machine.”

iels’ fumble on a botched handoff to rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

At this point in Daniels’ rookie year, Washington was in the middle of a 7-1 stretch that sparked its ﬁrst trip to the playoffs since 2020 as the Commanders saddled Dallas with the ignominy of being the only NFC team not to reach a conference championship game in the past 30 years.

“We still got some way to go,” said Daniels, who opened this week’s meeting with reporters following the Monday night loss with a series of one-sentence answers “We’re not a finished product, but we know in this league that you want to get hot at the right time. So, whatever that looks like, but we just have to keep stacking days and taking one day at a time and one game at a time.”

Dallas has a losing record because the league’s 32nd-ranked defense can’t get the stops needed to back Prescott, who has 11 touchdowns (10 passing) without a turnover but a 1-1-1 record over the

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

Asked a follow-up question about how he’d grade the drops — whether they were “could have” plays or “should have” plays — Olave didn’t let himself off the hook.

“They’re all ‘should’ve,’” Olave said. “That’s how I look at it. I hold myself to a higher standard. Any ball that is in my radius, I feel like I should catch. If it touches my ﬁngers or touches my hands, I’ve got to catch the ball.”

That game, and the missed opportunities within it, have generated some conversation about Olave.

The Saints drafted Olave with the No. 11 pick of the 2022 NFL draft.

He enjoyed two strong seasons to start his career, posting back-toback 1,000-yard campaigns. But multiple concussions limited him to just eight games last season, and he did not see the ﬁeld after Week 9.

He admitted Thursday that it has taken him some time to feel like himself after the way last season ended, and that he is just now feeling like he’s ﬁnding his groove as a player again.

Through six weeks, only one other player — Los Angeles Rams wideout Puka Nacua (65) — has more targets than Olave (64) He is clearly an important part of what the Saints want to do offensively

past three games. The Cowboys let their leading rusher from last season, Rico Dowdle, go for more than 200 scrimmage yards in Carolina’s 30-27 win last weekend also on a last-play field goal — despite his warning that his former teammates should “buckle up.”

A defense having trouble with the zone scheme of new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and therefore letting receivers run free all over the secondary, also got pushed around at the line of scrimmage by the Panthers. None of which deters the ever-optimistic Jones.

“If we should have some good go of it here over the next weeks ahead with our injury situation and return of injury, and we can get some wins, then this thing with Dak playing the way he’s playing and with the way some of the guys have played that are playing with these guys out right now, I’m encouraged,” Jones said. “The last thing that I’m thinking about is in any way being out of the hunt.”

“It’s a heavy workload, but I’m ready for it at the end of the day,” Olave said. “That’s what I’ve wanted, that’s what I’ve prayed for, that’s what I’ve worked for since I’ve been here.”

The production hasn’t always matched the usage this season, though.

Olave has caught 39 passes this season, which ranks seventh in the NFL, but he’s turned them into just 342 yards (24th), averaging only 8.8 yards per catch. Before hauling in a 53-yard catch on the first play of the game against New England, his season long was 17 yards. His season high in receiving through the first five weeks was 59 yards, set against the Giants in Week 5. He nearly doubled that against New England, with six grabs for 98 yards Still, he was left with a sour taste after the game, knowing that his drops could have played a key role in changing the outcome of what became the fifth loss in six tries for New Orleans. Those plays have added an extra layer of motivation for this upcoming week’s game against the Chicago Bears.

“For sure, especially waiting a whole week, you’ve got to wait seven days to play again,” Olave said. “Of course, it’s motivation. I’m just trying to prove myself right at the end of the day I’ve just got to take advantage of it and make the play when the ball comes my way.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Saints running back Alvin Kamara runs the ball against the San Francisco 49ers at the Caesars Superdome on Sept 14.

3, Toronto1 Monday: Seattle 10, Toronto 3 Wednesday: Toronto 13, Seattle4 Thursday: Toronto at Seattle, n Friday: Toronto at Seattle, 5:08p.m. (FOX/ FS1) x-Sunday, Oct. 19: Seattle or Detroit, 7:03 p.m. (FOX/FS1) x-Monday, Oct. 20: SeattleorDetroit, 7:08 p.m. (FOX/FS1) National League (TBS,truTV,HBO Max) LosAngeles 3, Milwaukee 0 Monday: LosAngeles 2, Milwaukee 1

(TBS/truTV/HBO Max) x-Saturday, Oct. 18: Milwaukee at LosAngeles, 7:08 p.m. (TBS/truTV/HBO Max) x-Monday, Oct. 20: LosAngeles at Milwaukee, 4:08 p.m. (TBS/truTV/HBO Max) x-Tuesday, Oct. 21: LosAngeles at Milwaukee, 7:08 p.m. (TBS/truTV/HBO Max) Toronto 13, Seattle4

LOB—Toronto 7, Seattle 4. 2B—Clement (1), Guerrero 2(2),Varsho(1), Polanco (1). HR Giménez (1), Springer (2), Guerrero (1), Kirk(1),Barger (1), J.Rodríguez (2), Arozarena(1),Raleigh(2). SB—Arozarena (3). IP HR ER BB SO Toronto Bieber W,1-0 642 21 8 Fisher 110 00 0 Y.Rodríguez 122 20 1 Fluharty 110 00 1 Seattle KirbyL,0-1

standit’snot aone-on-onesituation. Don’tturn the ball over.” Richard, thesharpshooting former Lafayette Christian Academystar,isLSU’s other returning reserve guard. Mulkey saidonSept. 23 that she’sthe most“polished” true point guard on the roster —the onewho’s spent the mosttimeplaying that position throughout her high school and collegiate career Lastseason,Richard logged more than 10 minutesinonly one of the 19 games that the Tigers playedafterthe calendar ﬂippedto2025. The then-freshmandrained just ﬁveofthe 25 3-pointers she attempted across that stretch of play

ButonWednesday,Mulkeysaid that Richard has “impressed” her in preseason practices ahead of her sophomore year “The one thing Jadacan do is she can shoot theball,”Mulkey said, “score the ball from the perimeter.She’sgot the personality thatyou gotFlau’jae(Johnson) over here, Mikaylah (Williams) over here, youcouldgocrazy as apoint guard because they’re so good,and they both want theball.

“Jada has the personality to say,‘Hey,I’m running this show.’ Ilike that.”

Richard is expected to run behind Fulwiley— at leasttostart the season. Fulwiley is taking on Mulkey’s“challenge” to play point guard at LSU,though the Tigers have plans to lether play on the wing as well. In those situations, either Williams or Richard could run the point, with Flau’jae Johnson and Fulwileyonthe wing. Mulkey has options.

“IwouldlovetoseeMiLaysiareally do some things with the ball in her hands at the point,” Mulkey said. “She’snot had to do it at this level. She’shad bad days doing it, but she’shad great days. If we can justgethertoaneven-keellevelto where she’s comfortable,I think those are three pretty special players on the perimeter.”

And there’sdepth too,especially because Gilbert is trying to add new tools to her game.

“I don’tknow,when we start the season,” Mulkey said, “if (Gilbert) will get much opportunity,but in practices she’sreally handling the ball some.”

Booatthe Zoo, Ghosts in theOaksand theAndouille Festival

n Audubon Zoohas a frightfully good time in store FridaythroughSunday for BOOATTHE ZOO, the dazzling daylight benefitfor ManningFamily Children’s Hospital and the zoo. Get into costume and head out for trick or treating,crafts, ahaunted house andmore at the 6500 Magazine St zoological garden. Tickets are $38 and the hours are 10 a.m. to 5p.m., with trick or treating for only the 12 and under audubonnatureinstitute.org.

Renowned musician talksVatican City gig, ‘The Voice,’Kanye West aheadof NewOrleans Saengershow

Jn St. John the Baptist Parish shows off itsprized sausage along with livemusic and foodatthe ANDOUILLE FESTIVAL, 6p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday,11a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8p.m. Sunday at the Community Center,2900 U.S. 51 in LaPlace. $5. andouillefestival.com.

Funky fusion

Festival’s special sets to include Master Pwith Soul Rebels, Irma with Galactic

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

BYKEITH SPERA | Staff writer

ohn Legend is afather of four,ahusband, asinger, asongwriter,apianist andanEGOT—he’swon at least oneEmmy,Grammy,Oscar andTony award.

He’s also arecurringcoach on the NBCsinging competition “The Voice.”

He’scurrently showcasing hisown voiceonatour to commemorate the 20thanniversary of his landmark debut album,“Get Lifted.”That tour stops at the Saenger Theatre in NewOrleansonThursday

Thefollowing interview with Legend, lightly edited for length andclarity,is from arecent episode of “Let’sTalk with Keith Spera,” whichairs on WLAE-TV andWWNO 89.9 FM

When Tracy Morgan’scharacter in the sitcom “30 Rock” became obsessedwith becoming an EGOT, he commissioned ahuge pendant spellingout theletters. Do you have asimilar pendant? My friends at “The Voice” jokingly made aversion of Tracy’s EGOT pendant.It’snot ofﬁcial, but Idohave it. Do you wear it on special occasions? We try to do alittle comedy on “The Voice,” so Iwore it duringa sketch we did. Other than that,I haven’tworn it.

Isuspect your wife and kids would not allow it. My wife would get akick out of. Yourecently performed at the first-ever concertinSt. Peter’sSquare at the Vatican. Pharrell Williams and Andrea Bocelli were thecreative directors. Pharrell and Iare friends. When he asked me, it was ano-brainer It was even more specialthan I imagined. Knowing they’ve never hada big concert in St.Peter’s Square, knowing that we have a newAmerican pope, bringing so

much American, and especially Black American,gospel music to theVatican —itwas really special. Iwas honored to be apart of it. Did the pope see the show? Oneofthe top cardinals was there in the audience but Ithink the pope stayed in his quarters towatch. I was hoping he’dhang out with us. He did give an audience to some performers but Iwasn’table to get there in time. So Imissed the

ä See LEGEND, page 3D

Homegrown hip-hop mogul Percy “Master P” Miller’s“farewell”performance at the2025 Essence FestivalofCulture in the Caesars Superdome was a bigproductionwithlotsofguest stars. But it wasn’this farewell. Even as the No Limit Records founderfocuses moreonhis duties as the University of New Orleans’ president of basketball operations, Master Pstill has a show or two leftinhim Including what will be,for him, aunique presentation Saturday night during the2025 NOLA Funk Fest at Spanish Plaza. For the first time, Master P will be backed by the Soul Rebels, whofor morethan 30 years have synthesized New Orleans brass band music with hip-hop attitude.The Soul Rebels have extensiveexperiencebacking hip-hop emcees onstage, including Wu-TangClan and Nas, among manyother mainstream music world collaborations.

The Master P/SoulRebels headlining set is in keeping with the three-year-old NOLA Funk Fest’sguiding philosophy: orchestrate unique presentations of NewOrleans music.

NOLA Funk Fest is aproduction of the Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience, the $100 million-plus music and culture museumbeing plannedfor downtownNew Orleans.

“Using our greatest natural resources in combination to highlight how amazing our culture and music are is our goal at NOLA Funk Fest,” said LMHE board chair Chris Beary.“Honoring and respecting out culture with substantivecaredemonstrates what the Louisiana Music &Heritage Experience can do when open.”

The NOLA Funk Fest schedule assembledbyproducer Mike Quinlan is laden with unique collaborations.

FILE PHOTOByJOSH BRASTED/ GETTy IMAGESFOR ESSENCE Master Pperforms onstage during the 2025 Essence FestivalofCulture at Caesars Superdome.

Watchout forrip-offs

Dear Heloise: The 25% discount you get when buying twoitems hardly covers the real rip-off. I’m asenior widower living alone and oftensee pricing that is half off if you buy four of the items (sodas,chips, meals,etc.)

This is way more than I can store or consume in areasonable amount of time. It just tells me that they will sell theseitems for half the price but not to me which angers me and borders on elder abuse. —Charles H., viaemail Charles, Ihave to agree with you. They oftenuse the same phrase: “The more you buy,the more you save.” It’snot really saving if all you need is one. —Heloise More on wills

Hints from Heloise

and other loyalty programsare important, too, as some of them may have rewards that are transferable. Don’tforget to create apassword list and instructions foraccessing your phone and computer Thepersonal representative (executor) will need to write letters and giveproof of their authority to act as well as certiﬁed death certiﬁcates. (Order at least 20!) Some will just needaletter.The internet has awealth of information for what one should do if tasked with handling an estate. This information can help guide someoneindecidingwhat to record.

Dear Heloise: Your readers are quite right that it is essential to have awill, trust,power of attorney,and health directive.Inaddition, one needs detailed listsof such things as all assets (house, cars, etc.), their bank andcredit information, utility accounts, sourcesofincome, debts,insurance information, and more. And don’tforget online accounts or things connected to them such as automatic payments. Travel

My list is nownine pages long after several daysofﬁnding information, includingcontact addressesand phonenumbers for thevariousbusinesses. Istill needtowrite aletterofinstructions(which includes preferences for distributing/selling/ donating/tossing assets) and possibly my obituary

Ihave also listed the nameof the attorney who prepared our documents. —LeslieAnn,via email

Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

TODAYINHISTORY

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday,Oct. 17, the 290th day of 2025. There are 75 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On Oct. 17, 1989, amagnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern California, killing 63 people and causing up to $10 billion worth of damage.

FUNK FEST

Continuedfrom page1D

Meters 2.0.

will be augmented by guest trombonistMarkMullins,ofBonerama. Jennifer Hartswicksitsinwith theNew Orleans Suspects. Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, the featured singer in Galactic, will lend her considerable pipes to Big Sam’s Funky Nation.

Following sets by George Porter Jr.&Runnin’ Pardners and Big Chief Juan Pardo’sTribal Gold, the MasterP/SoulRebelsshowcloses

Saturday

Sunday’sFunk Fest roster is even more jam-packed.

Slugger hits at noon, followed by Space& Harmony, Good Enough for Good Times and the Bucktown

Allstars

Also on this date: In 1777, British forces under Gen.John Burgoyne surrendered to Americantroops in Saratoga, New York, in aturning point of the Revolutionary War. In 1931, mobsterAlCapone was convicted in Chicago of income tax evasion; he would be sentenced to 11 years in prison, ﬁned $50,000 and ordered to pay back taxes. Capone was released in 1939. In 2024, Israel announced its forces in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar,achief architect of 2023’sHamas-led attack on southern Israel in which militants abducted 251 peopleand killed some 1,200 others, promptingIsrael’sretaliatory war that haskilled tensof thousandsofPalestinians in the small coastal strip.

Today’sbirthdays: Singer Gary Puckett is 83. Actor-musician Michael McKean is78. Astronaut MaeJemison is 69. Country singer Alan Jackson is 67. Film directorRob Marshall is 65. Animator-ﬁlmmaker Mike Judge is 63. Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 57. Actor Wood Harris is 56. Musician Wyclef Jean is 56. Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els is 56.

The fest opensat1 p.m. Friday withamemorial second-line for the late drummerRussell Batiste Jr.led by theOriginal Pinettes Brass Band. Friday’sroster includes Soul Project, theJamal Batiste Band, Erica Falls, Jon Cleary& the AbsoluteMonster Gentlemen and the next-generation Neville Sons. But Friday alsoboasts theMississippi RiverRevival, an all-star collaboration featuring guitarist LutherDickinson, of the North Mississippi Allstars;drummer StantonMoore and bassist Robert Mercurio,ofGalactic; trombonist “Big” SamWilliams, of Big Sam’s Funky Nation; trumpeter Gregory Davis and saxophonist RogerLewis, of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band; guitarist Jake Eckert,ofthe New OrleansSuspects; and his son, pianist River Eckert,plus trumpeter/ vocalistJennifer Hartswick, who hasplayedwith everyonefrom Trey Anastasio to Herbie Hancock. Friday’sclosing act is adifferent sort of Dumpstaphunk set. The New Orleans funk/R&B band anchored by keyboardist/singerIvanNeville will focus on the music of Sly Stone. Saturday getsunderway at noon with Funk Monkey,followed by Uncutand piano prodigy River Eckert. After that, the collaborationskick in.

TheHoney IslandSwampBand

Dumpstaphunk bassist Tony Hall is joined by James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic trombonist

Fred Wesleyfor atributetoBrown at 3:30 p.m.

Next up is Funky Meters 2.0, the latest iteration of theMeters brand.

After the original group disintegrated, an offshoot dubbedthe Funky Meters —anchored by bassist GeorgePorter Jr.and the late keyboardist ArtNeville— toured for years with guitarist BrianStoltz and the late drummerRussell BatisteJr.

Thenew version, dubbed Funky Meters2.0, features Porter,Stoltz, Ivan Neville stepping in forhis uncle Art on keyboards, Art’sson Ian Neville on guitar and Terrence Houston on drums.

ANew Orleans-centric incarnation of jazz fusion band the Headhunters follows the Funky

Then, in another one-of-a-kind presentation,Galacticperforms with four female singers who have been featuredwith the band over the years: Jelly Joseph, her predecessor Erica Falls, roots rock vocalist Maggie Koerner and the legendary Soul Queen of New Orleans, Irma Thomas. Thomas and Galactic collaborated on this year’sacclaimed “AudienceWiththe Queen” album Galactic’ssingershowcasegives way to contemporary Mardi Gras Indian funk band the Rumble. TheRumbleisessentially the opening act for Cyril Neville’s 50th anniversary celebration of one of the greatest Mardi Gras Indian albumsofall time, the Wild Tchoupitoulas’ self-titled release, whichwas the de facto ﬁrst Neville Brothers album. He’ll be joined by Porter,Ivan, Jason andOmari Neville, and members of the Wild Tchoupitoulastribe to closeout Funk Fest starting at 8:30 p.m For Louisiana residents, athreeday NOLA Funk Fest pass is $108; single-day tickets are $45. Athreeday pass fornon-residents is $136; single-day non-resident tickets are $56. VIPpackages are also available, as arediscounted tickets forstudentsand ﬁrst responders. Go to nolafunkfest.com forinfoand a link to ticket sales.

Email KeithSpera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTOByDAVID GRUNFELD

Irma Thomas performs with Galactic on the Festival Stageduring the 2025 NewOrleans Jazz& HeritageFestival

chance to meet him in person

Did playing Jesus in NBC’s 2018 live broadcast of “Jesus Christ Superstar” help prepare you for performing in Vatican City?

Doing “Jesus Christ Superstar” was one of my favorite experiences in my entire career There’s something special about live theater — the collaboration, how everyone’s depending on each other, doing it in the moment.

Taking on this challenging role in a show that means so much to people around the world was especially meaningful. To pull it off in the way that we did, to win the Emmy with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice on the day we all became EGOTs, was pretty astounding.

You performed during halftime of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. While in town, you visited The First 72+ a reentry center for formerly incarcerated people.

Louisiana is one of the most incarcerated states in America and America is the most incarcerated country in the world. We collaborate with Louisiana-based activists, thinking about how we can make our justice system more humane and more just for everybody We focus on how we invest in making our communities stronger so that people are actually safer in a way that is sustainable.

Is giving back an obligation for people such as yourself who have been richly rewarded?

You can say it’s an obligation but I see it as an opportunity. We’ve gone out there, put our name on the line and had some success.

Kanye West has had some interesting years recently but you worked with him early in your career

If you ﬂash back to the time we met in late spring 2001, we were both unknown artists. His ﬁrst big break as a producer was on “The Blueprint” by Jay-Z, which came out later that year

Both of us were unsigned, struggling to be heard and making demos together He was working on what eventually became “The College Dropout,” which came out in 2004. I was working on “Get Lifted,” which came out in late 2004.

We met three years before all that and helped each other craft our sound and our debut albums.

I signed with his production company It was while I was working with him that the nickname “John Legend” came along from J. Ivy, a spoken word artist from Chicago who was working with us on “The College Dropout.”

I don’t know where either of us would be without working together in that early phase of our careers. I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunities he gave me to collaborate with other artists and for helping me get a record deal.

When you finished recording “Get Lifted,” did you know it would be a hit?

I thought it was a really cool combination of the piano-driven side and hip-hop and a little gospel and classic soul and neo-soul.

It was a unique combination of those different sounds. It felt special, that we had something interesting to say musically and lyrically

I felt really optimistic, but you never know how an audience is going to receive it You never know if the stars are going to align in the right way for a song or two to break through.

One of (reasons) it blew up was the success of “Ordinary People.” “Ordinary People” was a series of lucky breaks that may not have

happened if anything was slightly changed.

I was supposed to be writing for the Black Eyed Peas. That night in the studio we wrote a few chorus ideas and one of them was “Ordinary People.” One of the best decisions I made was to take that chorus back and use it for myself.

It wasn’t even supposed to be a single. We were working “Used to Love U” as my ﬁrst single. But there were radio stations, ﬁrst in Chicago, that started playing “Ordinary People” from the sampler that my label was handing out.

In the middle of a lot of crunk, R&B and hip-hop — a lot of it coming from New Orleans and the South — it was stripped down and sounded like its own thing on the radio. It made people stop and listen.

On the 20th anniversary “Get Lifted” tour you’re performing the whole record for the first time. Not even during the ﬁrst tour did I play every song from the album. This is the ﬁrst time in my career that I’ve played every single song on any album.

We’re also doing some hits and we talk about some of my inﬂuences. I went to the University of Pennsylvania, which put me in

Philadelphia, a hotbed of neo-soul and soulful hip-hop. So we cover a few songs from that era, just taking people back to an era that meant a lot to me and fans of the style of music that I do.

You were young hungry and unknown when you wrote “Get Lifted.”After it became a success, you could never write from that perspective again.

It’s that way for a lot of artists. It takes some people a while to ﬁnd their voice, so maybe their third album is when they start to really ﬁnd it. Because I released “Get Lifted” on my 26th birthday, I was already pretty well into my adulthood. I had something to say, and I had been working on that music for years, so I was ready for that moment.

For a lot of my fans, “Get Lifted” will always be their ﬁrst love when it comes to my body of work. There’s nothing like that ﬁrst introduction to an artist.

The new, deluxe edition of “Get Lifted” includes a guest appearance by Lil Wayne.

My New Orleans fans will remember there was a New Orleans bounce version of the song “Let’s Get Lifted Again” from that album. I would come down to New Orleans and they would play me that version.

(On the deluxe album) we did

a more Southern-inﬂuenced version of “Let’s Get Lifted Again.” I thought it would only be right to at least feature one New Orleans rapper on the remix. Who better than Lil Wayne?

We have one of Atlanta’s ﬁnest, Killer Mike, on that record as well. So it is very connected to Southern hip-hop and shows how important Southern hip-hop is in the Black music landscape.

Your most recent record,“My Favorite Dream,” is your first foray into kids’ music. Did you make it with your four kids in mind?

Thinking about their ﬁrst exposure to music and wanting to inﬂuence the kind of music they were listening to really inspired me to make that album.

The room at my house where I wrote a lot of those songs is adjacent to the kitchen, the hub of our home. I was inspired by all the things we talked to our kids about and wanted to expose them to some cool children’s music.

I understand you sometimes make latenight sandwiches for your wife.

To be clear, she does most of the cooking. She’s (written) three cookbooks and sells kitchenware. She’s a fantastic chef. Occasionally I do a little cooking. I like to make breakfast. I make the sandwiches as well.

The sandwich thing started when she was pregnant. She’s had four pregnancies in our relationship. Sometimes you just really want to cater to your wife, especially when she’s carrying your child. That’s when I started doing the late-night sandwiches for her Occasionally I’m called upon to do it again.

You’re

One is my schedule. I’m touring a lot this fall so it didn’t make sense for me to be part of season 28. NBC is broadcasting the NBA during season 29, so there were fewer hours to ﬁll. They thought it might make more sense to only have three coaches.

We’ve already ﬁlmed quite a bit of it. All three of us are experienced coaches. We all have really good taste in music.

And we’re really good at doing the actual work of coaching our artists.

Email Keith Spera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO By TRAE PATTON/NBC

‘The Voice’ coach John Legend, back to camera, works with Louisiana contestant Zoe Levert on the song for her battles round.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-oct. 23) Act on your own behalfand enforce practicality.Don't over- or underestimate situations or people. Takenothing for granted, do what'snecessary andcollect your prize.

ScoRPIo (oct.24-nov. 22) Complete every task. Loose ends will ruinyour downtime, causingemotional trauma and unnecessary costs. Undertaking acreative project, interacting with children or aromantic adventure will soothe the soul.

SAGIttARIuS (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep your thoughts to yourself until you havea failproof plan in place. Conversations will offer insights into possibilities. Aim to love who you are, what you do and where you are heading.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec.22-Jan. 19) Verify everything you hear before passing informationalong. Your reputation will suffer if you are too quick to judge or trust someone. Avoid takingunnecessary risks that can lead to ill health or injury

AQuARIuS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Embrace change,put your best foot forward and letyour creativity lead the way. A new look,passion or attitude can help you develop resilience to move forward with fresh ideas and avision.

PIScES (Feb. 20-March 20) Setyourself up for success. Think innovatively, use your cash wisely and interact with people who stimulateyourcreativity. Your happiness depends on the choices you make, not on appeasing others.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Giveyour all and reap high returns. Let your imagination take precedence, and you'll find ways to prosper. Success comes from organization and afrugal lifestyle.

tAuRuS (April20-May 20) Mixed emotionswill be awarningtoask questions and decipher what's real and what's fake. Truth and acceptance are where opportunities present themselves.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Initiatinga connection with someone well-informed will encourage you to up your game by pointingyou in theright direction. Be open and receptive to what others reveal.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Mixbusiness with pleasure, andyou'll gain insight into how to ahead. Adisciplined attitude will be admired and respected. A lifestyleordomestic change is agood investment.

LEo(July 23-Aug. 22) Invite change, and it will help you gain perspective regarding thebest way to move forward. Refuse to let emotions interfere when principles or expenditures are an issue.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Let your emotions stir things up. When you face multiple choices, you'll find away to figure outwhat's best for you. Simplicity anda minimalist attitude will pay off.

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, pastand present. Each letter in thecipher stands for another.

toDAy'S cLuE: SEQuALSW

CeLebrItY CIpher

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle basedona9x9 grid with several given numbers The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the sudoku increasesfrom monday to sunday

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Vinoba Bhave,anIndian advocate for human rights who died in 1982, said,“Innumerable actions are going on through us all the time. If we started counting them,weshould never cometo an end.”

Luckily,itisnotthattoughatthebridge table. But the more counting you do, the betteryouwillplay.Intoday’sdeal,South is in four hearts. West leads the diamond king. East overtakeswithhis ace and returns adiamond. West wins with his jack and cashes the diamond queen, East discarding theclub two. Now West shifts to adeceptive spade nine. How should declarer continue? Note South’s balancing jumpovercall. Thisisnolongerweak, as it would have been in the second seat. It is intermediate,showing arespectable six-orseven-card suit and some 14-16 high-card points. The hand will typically contain sevenplaying tricks (winners). Southhas lost three tricks, his book. He must play the trump suit without loss. In normalcircumstances, he would finesse through East. But whenever an opponent opensthe bidding and you buy the contract, always count up the highcard points. Here, Northand South have acombined24points. East has already produced four, thediamond ace. That leaves at most 12 for West,yet he opened

thebidding.Hemusthavetheheartking.

(Alternatively, if East had had that king, he would have had seven points and wouldnot havepassed over his partner’s opening bid.) So declarer should wintrick fourand play aheart to his ace. Whenthe king luckily drops, South can claim ©2025 by nEa, inc., dist.Byandrews mcmeel syndication

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase,name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InStRuctIonS: 1. Words must be of four or more

toDAy’S WoRD BRAcKEn: BRAK-en: Alarge coarse fern.

Average mark 24 words

Time

Can

wuzzles

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Formore information on tournaments and clubs, email naspa –north

sCraBBlE playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit ourwebsite:www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzleinquiries contact scrgrams@gmail.com. Hasbro andits logo sCraBBlE associated logo,the

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 -Eachrow and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages must combine using the given operation (in any order) to producethe targetnumbers in the top-left corners 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the numberinthe top-left corner.

WiShinG Well

HErE is aplEasanTliTTlE

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe iS roSe

Damon Singleton

LIA ESCOBAR) By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedApril 15, 2024, Ihave seized andwill proceedto sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Octo‐ber22, 2025 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN PARCEL OF GROUND SITU‐

ATED IN THE PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATEOF LOUISIANA, IN THAT PART THEREOF KNOWNAS LAKE TIMBERLANE ES‐TATES, RE-SUB‐DIVISION AP‐PROVED BY OR‐DINANCE NO 14581, RECORDED IN COB996, FOLIO 813, JANUARY, 1981.ALL AS MORE FULLYSHOWN ON PLAN OF RE‐SUBDIVISION PREPARED BY J. J.KREBS AND SONS,INC., DATEDSEPTEM‐BER19, 1980. LOT75, SQUARE 4, SECTION1 IS BOUNDEDBY LAKE DESALLE‐MANDSDRIVE LAKE PALOURDE DRIVE, LAKE SUPERIOR DRIVE ANDLAKE

PLACID DRIVE. This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

2025, October17, 2025

Sep12-oct17-2t $81.24

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

EMILYE HOLLEY Attorney for Plaintiff

SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedApril 25, 2023, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Octo‐ber22, 2025 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: September12,

ONECERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, together with allthe buildings andimprove‐ments thereon, andall therights, ways i il

g privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances and advantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisianain that part thereofknown as TRUDEAU SUBDIVISION andinaccor‐dancewithPlan of Office of Sur‐veys,Inc.dated December 19, 1963, approved by the JeffersonParish CouncilDecem‐ber19, 1963, as perOrdinance No 6408, acopyof which is on file in theOffice of theClerk of CourtofJeffer‐sonParish, which survey wasrevised on May27, 1964, said lotisdesig‐

g natedand mea‐suresas follows:

LOT11OF SQUARE 12, is bounded by Marmande Av‐enue Newton Street,Richard Avenue and westernbound‐aryofthe rightof-way of the Illinois Central Railroad.Said lotmeasures50 feet fronton RichardAvenue, same widthin therear, by a depthof 130 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines.

Together with allbuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon includinga 1999 Fleetwood manufactured home having se‐rial numberMS‐FLW25A7939506, which manufac‐

tured home wasim‐mobilizedpur‐suanttoLa. R.S. 9:1149.4byAf‐ﬁxation Afﬁ‐davitrecorded with Mortgage on July 5, 2000 in Instrument No 10032954, Jeffer‐sonParish, Louisiana. This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior

TERMS- Thefull

OFFICIAL NOTICE

Public Notice is hereby given that the Council of the City of New Orleans will consider at its regular meeting of October 23, 2025 at 10:00 a.m., to be held either via video conference or in the Council Chamber,City Hall, 1300Perdido Street, Room 1E07, the adoption of Ordinance Calendar No 35,272 introduced at the meeting of October 9, 2025.

SAID ORDINANCE would authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into aSubrecipient Agreement between the City of New Orleans (the “City”),and New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (“NORA”), for aterm greater than one year,for thepublic purpose of supporting food entrepreneurs in New Orleans through the creation of afood business incubator and providing microgrants to currently operating commercial kitchens to directly respond to the disaster-related impacts that occurred post Hurricanes Ida, Zeta, and the severestorms of 2020 and 2021 in the City of New Orleans, as morefully detailed in the Subrecipient Agreement form attached hereto as Exhibit “A”.

Said ordinance may be seen in full in the Office of the Clerk of Council, Room 1E09, City Hall, 1300 Perdido Street.

LORAW.JOHNSON, LMMC, MMC CLERK OF COUNCIL

PUBLICATION DATE: October 17, 2025 NOCP 8700

OFFICIAL NOTICE CAL. NO. 35,272

EXHIBIT A

SUBRECIPIENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND NEW ORLEANS REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY [COVER PAGE]

SUBRECIPIENT AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND THE NEW ORLEANS REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY FOR RESILIENT COMMUNITIES INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM: FOOD BUSINESS INCUBATION ACTIVITIES (RCIP Project No.: 36LDRC7401)

THIS SUBRECIPIENT AGREEMENT (the Agreement”) is entered into by and between the City of New Orleans, represented by LaToya Cantrell, Mayor (the “City”), and the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority,represented by Brenda M. Breaux, Executive Director (“NORA or “Subrecipient”). The City and NORA may sometimes each be referred to as a“Party,” and collectively,asthe Parties.” The Agreement is effective upon execution by the City (the Effective Date”).

RECITALS

WHEREAS,the City is apolitical subdivision of theState of Louisiana; and WHEREAS,NORA is apublic body corporate and political, created pursuant to La. R.S. 33:4720.55,and the resolution of the Council of the City evidenced by acertificate signed by the Mayor and Council and registered with the Secretary of State of Louisiana; and WHEREAS,NORA has aprincipaladdress located at 1409 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana 70113; and WHEREAS,NORA exists and operates as generally provided for in La. R.S. 33:4720, et seq.,for public purposes which include the prevention and elimination of blighted areas, the development of vibrant neighborhoods and establishment of economically and socially sound communities through abroad range of redevelopment activities; and

WHEREAS,NORA has certain powers necessary or suitable to carry out the purposes and provisions of La. R.S. 33:4720, et seq.,including withoutlimitation redevelopment, renewal, rehabilitation, housing development, conservation, urban beautification, or comprehensive programs for the development of entirecity areas or neighborhoods; and WHEREAS,NORA is charged with revitalization of underinvested areas in the City of New Orleans and desires to develop and construct properties for housing and economic development to benefitpoor and needy populations; and WHEREAS,pursuant to La. R.S. 33:4720.56,NORAisauthorized to enter into agreements and contracts with the City in pursuance of the intent of the New Orleans Community Improvement Act, including activities to encourage the provision of healthful homes, housing for families and persons of low income, adecent living environment, and adequate places of employment within the City; WHEREAS,the City was awarded $33,280,853.85 in HUD Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (“CDBG-DR”) funds from the State of Louisiana’sOffice of Community Development (“LOCD”) under the Resilient Communities InfrastructureProgram (“RCIP”) providing federal grant assistance for 2020-2021 disasters and has selected NORA as Subrecipient to implementthe program as set forth below; WHEREAS,the City desires to cooperate with the Subrecipient in the implementation of the Food Business Incubator Program -RCIP Project No. 36LDRC7401 (the “Project”) to meet recovery and revitalization needs as stated in the authorizing State of Louisiana Action Plan for the 2020/2021 Disasters1 (the “ActionPlan”) and ensuing amendments; and WHEREAS,the City and NORA desiretoaccomplish the valuable public purpose of supporting food entrepreneurs in New Orleans through the creation of afood business incubator and providing microgrants to currently operating commercial kitchens to directly respond to the disaster-related impacts that occurred postHurricanes Ida, Zeta,and the severestorms of 2020 and 2021; WHEREAS clearance, rehabilitation, reconstruction and construction of buildings is an eligible CDBG activity pursuant to 24 CFR 570.202

WHEREAS,economic development assistance to for-profit businesses is an eligible CDBG activity pursuant to 24 CFR 570.202

WHEREAS,the CDBG-DR activities outlined in this Agreement meet the Low-to-Moderate Income area benefitnational objective by supporting local Orleans parish small business owners and entrepreneurs, along with the citywide LMI communities they serve WHEREAS,NORA has demonstrated that it has the experience and expertise to conduct the activities described in this Agreement;and NOW THEREFORE,the City and NORA, each having the authority to do so, agree as follows:

1 State of Louisiana Action Plan for the Utilization of Community Development Block Grant Funds in Response to 2020 and 2021 Federal Declarations in Louisiana,submitted to HUD by LA OCD on May 6, 2022. Accessed at: https://www.restore.la.gov/action-plan.

[The rest of this page is intentionally left blank]

[The General AwardInformation Article follows on the next page.] ARTICLE I–GENERAL AWARD INFORMATION The subawardfromthe City to the Subrecipient, which is described below,isfor the purpose of carrying out aportion of aFederal award described in Article Iofthis Agreement, and creates aFederal assistance relationship with the Subrecipient. This Agreement must be updated to reflect any changes to the Federal awardand the following award information. Federal AwardIdentification Number (FAIN): B-21-DF-22-0001/2021, B-21-DF- 0002/2021. LOCD CDBG-DR RCIP Project Number 36LDRC7401: CFDA Number and Name:

a. Procurement i. NORA willprocurea developer (in accordance with its Procurement Policies and Procedures that must conform to 2CFR 200.317) who will construct and furnish the vacant parcel of land at the intersection of St.BernardAve and N. Claiborne.

ii. Allconstruction will be completed by acertified contractor with oversight from NORA and complywith all required permits from the City of New Orleans.

2. Microgrants- The Subrecipient is the sole responsibleparty for the successful implementation of the Microgrant Program and as such the following tasks will be undertaken by NORA

a. Public Notice i. NORA willtake effective measures to ensurethat the public is notified of the availabilityoffunds for the Microgrant Program in atimely and equitable manner by implementing aprogram marketing plan that includes targeted outreach to local businesses in food service and hosting informational sessions.

b. ApplicationAdministration

i. NORA willberesponsiblefor the creation and administration of the Microgrant Applicationwhich includes the evaluation of submitted applications and selection of eligible applicants.

c. SelectionofTechnical Assistance Providers

i. NORA willberesponsiblefor issuing the solicitation and selecting technical assistance providers to assist eligible applicants with kitchen design, business development, etc.

d. Grant Agreement Oversight

i. NORA willberesponsible for the oversight of grant agreements, which includes the drafting of the agreement and execution of agreement between NORA and the program participant.

ii. NORA willberesponsiblefor ensuring that allrequirements within the grant agreement aremet including project deliverables, timelines and compliance requirements.

3. Administer this Agreement through its Department of Real Estate Development and Planning.

a. Designate in writing one or moreNORA personnel as the designated representative of NORA forpurposes of communicating with NORA, coordinating all activities with NORA, and otherwise handling all matters under this Agreement as the representative(s) of NORA. All communications regarding this Agreement from the City shall be directed to NORA’s designated representative(s), and the City shall be permitted to rely on its communications with such designated representative(s) in connection with the performance under and implementation of this Agreement

b. The initial designated representative(s) of NORA areas follows: Brenda M. Breaux, ExecutiveDirector,and Adrienne D. Celestine, Chief of Real EstateDevelopment and Strategy NORA may change its designated representative(s) at any timeduring the term of this Agreement by providing written notice to the City.

4. Maintain records and provide monthly project progress reports, as well as amoredetailed annual report, to the City on aschedule and in aformat agreed to by the Parties. If requested by the City in writing, NORA shallberesponsiblefor providing the City with any additional project progress and beneficiary data as required by federal and state law.

5. Perform all other services and obligations as set forth in the following documents incorporated fully into this Agreement: NORA’s Scope of Services and Budget, included as ExhibitC

C. Compliance with Federal Regulations, Notices, and Uniform Administrative Requirements.The Subrecipient, as well as any of its sub-subrecipients, shall:

1. In general.Complywith all applicable federal regulations and requirements incorporated thereinbyreference in the Exhibits, whether specificallydiscussed herein or not, including but not limited to the authorizing statute and the final rule, as they may be amended. This includes the guidelines as noted in the approved State of Louisiana ActionPlan forthe UtilizationofCommunity Development Block Grant Funds in Response to 2020 and 2021 Federal Declarations in Louisiana and ensuing Amendments, as well as the RCIP Policies and Procedures Manual: Hurricanes Laura/Delta/Ida and May2021 SevereStormsRecovery Program. Accessed at:https://www.restore.la.gov/resilient-communitiesprogram.

2. Uniform Administrative Requirements.Complywith the applicable Uniform Administrative Requirements as described in 2 CFR§200 and HUD’s AppendixI-2 HUD Compliance Provisions, andCDBG-DRand MITRider for eligible CommunityDevelopment Block Grant activities.

3. Procurement.Complywith the procurement standards in 2CFR §200.317 -§200.327 when procuring property and services under this Agreement

4. Notices.Complywith all applicable Notices and directives promulgated by the Department.

5. Award Terms and Conditions. Complywith all terms and conditions required by the Award.

D. Reporting 1. Monthly progress and financial reports shall be due and delivered to the City on or beforethe 15th of the following month. Atemplate forthe monthly progress and financial reports can be found in Exhibits “A” and “B” respectively

2. A final report to the City at the termination or expiration of this Agreement,detailing the services/deliverables accomplished with the use of funds received in connection with this Agreement confirming that allfunds wereused for the intended purpose(s) no later than November 1, 2027, unless extended by both parties and providing any and all assessment findings. ARTICLE III -REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

A. The Subrecipient represents and warrants to the City that: 1. The Subrecipient, through its duly authorized representative, has the full power and authority to enter into and execute this Agreement.

2. The Subrecipient has and will maintain the requisite expertise, qualifications, staff, materials, equipment,licenses, permits, consents, registrations, and certifications in place and available for the performance of all workrequired under this Agreement

3. The Subrecipient is bonded, if required by law, and fullyand adequately insured for any injury or loss to its employees and any other person resulting from the actions or omissions of the Subrecipient, its employees, or its sub-subrecipients in the performance of this Agreement

4. The Subrecipient is notunder any obligation to any other person that is inconsistent or in conflict with this Agreement,orthat could prevent, limit, or impair the Subrecipient’s performance of this Agreement

5. The Subrecipient has no knowledge of any facts that could prevent, limit, or impair the performance of this Agreement except as otherwise disclosed to the City and incorporated into this Agreement

6. The Subrecipient is notinbreach of any federal, state, or local statute, regulation, or code applicable to the Subrecipient or its operations.

7. The Subrecipient has read and fully understands this Agreement and is executing this Agreement willingly and voluntarily

8. Allofthe representations and warranties in this Article and elsewhereinthis Agreement aretrue and correct as of the date of execution of this Agreement by the Subrecipient, and the execution of this Agreement by the Subrecipient’srepresentative constitutes aswornstatement,under penalty of perjury,bythe Subrecipient as to the truth of the foregoing representations and warranties.

have the option to extendthe term of this Agreementbygiving writtennotification to the Subrecipient stating such intentions at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to the termination of the Agreement. Any extension will also requireCity Council approval subject to Chapter 70, Article I, Section 70-10 of the Home Rule Charter

C. Termination for Convenience.EitherPartymay terminatethis Agreementatany time during the term of the Agreementbygiving the other Party writtennoticeofthe termination at least thirty (30) calendar days beforethe intendeddateoftermination.

D. Termination for Cause.EitherPartymay terminatethis Agreement immediately for cause by sending writtennoticetothe otherParty. “Cause” includeswithout limitation anyfailuretoperform anyobligation or abide by anycondition of this Agreementorthe failureofany representation or warranty in this Agreement. If atermination for cause is subsequently challengedina courtoflaw,and the challenging party prevails, the termination will be deemed to be atermination for convenienceeffective thirty (30) days from the date of the originalwritten noticeoftermination for cause wassenttothe challenging party; no furthernoticewill be required.

E. Termination for Non-Appropriation.This Agreementwill terminateimmediately in the eventofnon-appropriation of funds sufficient to maintain this Agreementwithout the requirementofnotice, andthe City will not be liable for anyamounts beyond the funds appropriatedand encumberedfor this Agreement.

F. Notice.The City shall promptly notify the Subrecipient, in writing, of its termination andthe reasons for the termination,togetherwith the date on whichthe termination shall take effect.Upon termination,the City retains the right to recover anyimproperexpenditures from the Subrecipient, andthe Subrecipient shall returntothe City anyimproper expenditures no laterthanthirty (30) days afterthe date of termination. The City may, at its sole discretion, allow the Subrecipient to retain or be reimbursedfor costs reasonably incurred prior to termination thatwere not made in anticipation of termination andcannot be canceled provided thatsaidcosts meet the provisions of this Agreementand anyother applicablestate or Federal statutes, regulations, or requirements.

G. Remedies for Non-Compliance.Ifthe Subrecipient fails to comply with federal statutes, regulations, or the terms andconditions of aFederal award, the Department or the City mayimpose additionalconditions, as described in 200.208: SpecificConditions. If the Department or the City determines thatnoncompliancecannot be remediedbyimposing additionalconditions, theneithermay take one or moreofthe following actions, as appropriate in the circumstances:

1. Temporarily withhold cash payments pending correction of the deficiency by the non- Federal entity or moresevereenforcement action by the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity

2. Disallow (that is, deny both use of funds andany applicable matching creditfor) allorpart of the cost of the activity or action not in compliance.

3. Wholly or partly suspendorterminate the Federal award.

4. Initiate suspension or debarment proceedings as authorized under 2CFR Part 180 andFederal awarding agency regulations (or,in the case of apass-through entity,recommend such aproceeding be initiated by aFederal awarding agency).

5. Withhold furtherFederal awards for the project or program.

6. Take otherremedies thatmay be legally available.

ARTICLE VII -MAINTENANCE AND MONITORING OF RECORDS

A. Maintenance of Records.The Subrecipient agrees to maintain allrecordsofall expendituresoffunds provided to it by the City in accordance with 2CFR §200.334 andthe agreementbetween LOCD andthe City for five (5)years from the official date of the closeout of the grant. If anylitigation, claims, or audits begin prior to the expiration of the five-year period, thenthe recordsmust be maintained until alllitigation, claims, andaudit findings involving the recordshave been resolved and finalaction taken. Records aretobemaintained separately for each project undertaken by the Subrecipient, andthe recordsfor each project will be maintained by the Subrecipient in such amannerthatthe funding sources usedineach project will be accountedfor separately.The aforementionedclassification of funds expended will be furtheritemized by the “funding year” associatedwith the funds. The Subrecipient hereby agrees to maintain, for the City’sreview, allrecordsrelating to the creation, development, andimplementation of the activitiesinthis Agreementand the expenditureoffunds. B. Monitoring of Records.The Subrecipient acknowledgesthe responsibility of the City to monitor its performance andall recordsrelating to projects implementedbythe Subrecipient with the RCIP funds. The Subrecipient hereby acknowledgesits responsibility to provide the City State or HUD,upon reasonable demand, with allrecords relating to RCIPfundedprojectsimplementedbythe Subrecipient andhereby agrees to assistthe City in reviewing projects undertaken by the Subrecipient with RCIP funds. The aforementioned recordswill be made available at times reasonable to both the Subrecipient andthe City,and the Subrecipient’s recordswill be reviewed by the City no less thanannually ARTICLE VIII –MONITORING OF SUBRECIPIENT PERFORMANCE

A. Monitoring.The City shall monitor the performance of the Subrecipient as necessary andinaccordance with regulations on Subrecipient Monitoringand Management,2 CFR 200.330 –2 CFR 200.332, to ensureSubrecipient compliancewith allofthe requirements of this Agreement, including the timeframesand performance goals associatedwith the activities, as well as procurement. Substandard performance, as determined by the Grantee, will constitute noncompliance with this Agreement. If action to correct such substandardperformance is not taken by the Subrecipient within thirty (30) days afterbeing notified by the Grantee, the Granteemay impose additionalconditions on the Subrecipient andits use of funds consistent with 2CFR 200.207, suspend or terminatethis Agreement, or initiate otherremedies for noncompliance as appropriate andpermittedunder2CFR 200.338.

B. Reporting.The Subrecipient shall submit regularmonthly progress and financialreports to the City,and additionalreports as requested by the City

C. Failure to Perform or Breach.Ifthe Subrecipient fails to perform according to the Agreement, breaches the Agreement, or doesnot comply with Federal Regulations governing the project, the City will notify the Subrecipient. If there is acontinuedlack of performance or lack of curingofbreach or non-complianceafternotification anda reasonable time period to cure (as determined by the City in the giveninstance), then the City maydeclarethe Subrecipient in default andmay pursue any appropriate remediesavailable underthe Agreementand anyapplicable law. In the eventofadefault notification,the City will invoicethe defaulting Subrecipient for anyincrease in costs andotherdamages sustained by the City.Furthermore, the Subrecipient acknowledgesits obligation to repay the City the funds identified with the period of noncompliance. The Subrecipient acknowledgesthatthe repayment amount is not necessarily commensuratewith the period of noncompliance, andrepaymentcould be up to the totalamount of compensation disbursed.

ARTICLE IX –INDEMNITY

A. In General 1. Subject to Section (B) below,tothe fullest extentpermittedby law, NORAwill indemnify,defend, andhold harmless the City,its agents, employees, officials, insurers, self-insurance funds, and assigns (collectively,the “City’sIndemnified Parties”) from and against anyand alllosses, claims, demands, suits, andjudgments of sums of money accruing against the City’sIndemnified Parties for loss of life or injury or damage to persons or property arising from or relating to anyact or omission or the operation of NORA, its agents or employees while engagedinorinconnection with the discharge or performance of anyobligations underthis Agreement; andfor anyand allclaims and/or liens for labor services, or materials furnishedtoNORA in connection with the performance of workunderthis Agreement.

2. Subject to Section (B) below,tothe fullest extentpermittedby law, the City will indemnify,defend, andhold harmless NORA, its agents, employees, officials, insurers, self- insurancefunds, andassigns (collectively,the “NORA’s Indemnified Parties”) from andagainst anyand alllosses, claims, demands, suits, andjudgments of sums of moneyaccruing against the NORA’s Indemnified Parties for loss of life or injury or damage to persons or property arising from or

to anyact or omission or the operation of the City,its agents or employees while engaged in or in connection with the discharge or performance of any obligations underthis Agreement; andfor anyand allclaims and/ or liens for labor,services, or materials furnishedtothe City in connection with the performance of workunderthis Agreement. The indemnity provided in this Article Xshall be in addition to and

profession, with limits of liability of not less than $1,000,000.00 per claim /$2,000,000.00 policy aggregate. Coverage shall be sufficiently broad to respond to the duties and obligations as is undertaken by NORA in this Agreement. Policy shall be kept in force and uninterrupted for aperiod of three (3) years beyond policy expiration. If coverage is discontinued for any reason during this three (3) year term, NORA mustprocureand evidence full extended reporting period (ERP) coverage.

6. Property Insurance shall be maintained in compliance

10.

ARTICLE XI -DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (“DBE”) PROGRAM

A. In General.The Subrecipient agrees to abide by the City Code Sections 70-456, et seq., to use its best efforts to carry out all applicable requirements of the City’sDBE Program forthe administration of this Agreement,asset forth in the City Code and any applicable rules adopted thereunder.The City’sOffice of SupplierDiversity (“OSD”)oversees the DBE Program and assigns aDBE Compliance Officer (“DBECO”) to ensurecompliance.

B. Monitoring.Toensurecompliance with DBE requirements during the term of this Agreement,the DBECO will monitorthe Subrecipient’suse of DBE sub-subrecipients (“DBE Entities”) through the following actions:

1. Job site visits

2. Electronic payment tracking via the Contract Compliance Monitoring System or other means as approved by the OSD.

3. Routine audits of contract payments to all sub-subrecipients

4. Reviewing of records and reports

5. Interviews of selected personnel

A. The DBECO may schedule inspections and on-site visits with or without prior notice to the Subrecipient or DBE Entities.

B. Cooperation.The Subrecipient shall:

1. Designate an individual as the “DBE Liaison” who will monitor the Subrecipient’sDBE participation as well as document and maintain records of “GoodFaith Efforts” with DBE Entities.

2. Execute written contracts with DBE Entities that meet the applicable DBE goals.

a. The Subrecipient shall provide the DBECOwith copies of said contracts within thirty (30) days from the date this Agreement is fully executed between the City and the Subrecipient.

b. The Subrecipient shall agree to promptly pay subsubrecipients, including DBE Entities, in accordance with the law

3. Establish and maintain the following records forreview upon request by the OSD:

a. Copies of written contracts with DBE Entities and purchase orders

b. Documentation of payments and other transactions with DBE Entities

c. Appropriate explanations of any changes or replacements of DBE Entities, which may include arecordof“Post-AwardGood Faith Efforts” foreach certified firm that the Subrecipient does not use in accordance with the approved DBE participation submission.

d. Any other records required by the OSD

e. The Subrecipient is required to maintainsuch records for five (5) years after completion or close out of this Agreement.Such records arenecessary to determine compliance with their DBE obligations.

4. Post monthlypayments and submit regular reports to the DBECO as required via the online “Contract Compliance Monitoring System” or other means approved by the OSD.

a. The Subrecipient shall submitthe initial reportoutlining DBE participation within thirty (30) days from the date of notice to proceed (orequivalent document) issued by the City to the Subrecipient. Thereafter,“DBE Utilization” reports shall be due on or beforethe fifteenth day of each monthuntil all DBE subcontracting work is completed.

b. Reports arerequired even when no activityhas occurred in a monthly period.

c. If the established percentage is notbeing met,the monthly report shall include anarrative description of the progress being made in DBE participation.

d. The Subrecipient may also be required to attach or upload copies of canceled checks or bank statements that identify payer,payee, and amount of transfer to verify payment information as indicated on the form

5. Conform to the established percentage as approved by the OSD.

a. The total dollar amount of the Agreement shall include approved change orders and amendments.

b. For arequirements contract, the total dollar amount shall be based on actual quantities ordered.

c. No changes to the established percentage and DBE Entities submitted on DBE Compliance Form-1shall be allowed without approval by the OSD.

d. The City will not adjust the contract forany cost increase due to DBE Entities’ replacement.

C. Post-Award Modification.The OSD may grant apost-award

modification request if: 1. For areason beyond the Subrecipient’scontrol, the Subrecipient is unable to use the certified DBE entity submitted on DBE Compliance Form-1 to perform the specified work.

2. The Subrecipient must notify the OSD of the intent for removal and substitution of acertified DBE immediately upon determination that the DBE submitted on ComplianceForm -1 is unable to perform the specified work.

3. In such case, the Subrecipient shall use and document “Good Faith Efforts” to find asimilarlyqualified and certified DBE entity to perform such specified work.

4. The same criteria used for establishing “Good Faith Efforts” in maximizing the participation of DBE Entities prior to awarding the Agreement will also apply to the substitution of DBE subsubrecipients during the performance of the Agreement

this Agreement, whichwill include,but not be limitedto, abnormally severeand unusualweatherconditions or otheractsofGod (including tropical weatherevents, tornados, hurricanes, and flooding); declarations of emergency; shortages of labor or materials (not caused by the City nor NORA); riots; terrorism; actsofpublic enemy; war; sabotage; cyber-attacks, threats, or incidents; epidemics or pandemics; courtorgovernmentalorder; or anyothercause whatsoever beyond the reasonable control of the City and/or NORA, provided such eventwas not caused by the negligencenor misconductofthe City nor NORA, as applicable, by the failureofthe City or NORA, as applicable, to comply with applicablelaws, or by the breach of this Agreement.

B. Notice.Toseek the benefitofthis Article,the City or NORA, as applicable,must provide noticeinwritingtothe otherPartystating: (1)an eventtriggeringthis Article hasoccurred; (2)the anticipatedeffect of the Force Majeure eventonperformance; and(3) the expected duration of the delay,ifthe Agreementisbeing suspended.

C. Effect 1. Upon the occurrence of aForce Majeure event, for whichthe City or NORA, as applicable,has provided required notice, such Party may,atits sole discretion:

a. Suspend this Agreementfor aduration to be set by such Party not to exceed ninety (90) days. Duringsuchtime of suspension, the Parties will not be liable nor responsible for performance of their respective obligations underthis Agreement, andthere will be excludedfromthe computation of suchperiod of time anydelays directly due to the occurrence of the Force Majeure event. Duringany such period of suspension, the otherParty must take allcommercially reasonable actions to mitigate against the effectsofthe Force Majeure eventand to ensure the prompt resumption of performance whensoinstructedby the suspending Party; or b. Terminatethis Agreement, eitherimmediately or afterone or moreperiods of suspension, effective on noticetothe other Party andwithout anyfurthercompensation due.

2. Notwithstanding Section (C)(1)above, the obligations relating to making payments whendue (for services or materials already provided) andthose obligations specified to survive in the Agreementwill be unaffected by anysuspension or termination ARTICLE XV -NOTICE

A. In General. Except for anyroutine communication,any notice, demand, communication, or request required or permitted underthis Agreementwill be given in writing anddeliveredinpersonorbycert fied mail, returnreceipt requested as follows, with acopy deliveredby electronic mail at the addresses set forth below:

1. To theCity:

Director,Office of Economic Development City of NewOrleans 1340 PoydrasStreet,Suite 1000 NewOrleans, LA 70112 & City Attorney City of NewOrleans 1300 Perdido Street,Suite 5E03 NewOrleans, LA 70112

2. To NORA: NewOrleansRedevelopment Authority Attn: Brenda M. Breaux, Executive Director 1409 Oretha Castle HaleyBlvd. NewOrleans, LA 70113 Email: bbreaux@nola.gov

B. Effectiveness.Notices areeffective whenreceived, except any noticethatisnot received due to the intendedrecipient’srefusalor avoidanceofdelivery.Ifthe intendedrecipient refusesoravoids delivery thenthe date of the first attempteddelivery will be deemed the date of receipt.

C. Notification of Change.Each party is responsible for notifying the other in writing thatreferences this Agreementofany changesinits address(es)set forth above.

ARTICLE XVI–INCORPORATEDDOCUMENTS

A. In general.The following documents areincorporatedinto this Agreement:

1. Exhibit A: Monthly ProgressReport

2. Exhibit B: Monthly Financial Report

3. Exhibit C: Budget and Schedule of Work

4. Exhibit D: HUD Termsand Conditions

CG 20 10 11 85 or both CG 20 10 and CG 20 37 forms if later revisions areused).

3. NORA shall requireand verify that all subcontractorsmaintain insurance and coverage limits meeting all the requirements stated herein or the sub-contractor liability shall be covered by NORA. The Certi

Subcontractor,partner,supplier or by anyone directly or indirectly employed by any of them to perform or furnish any of the work. Contractors’ insurance coverage shall be primary insurance as respects the City,its departments, political subdivisions, officers, officials, employees, and volunteers. Any insurance or self-insurance maintained by the City shall be non-contributing to the Contractors coverage. At no time shall the Contractor allow any Sub-contractor to perform work without the required types and limits of required insurance coverage. The carriers/companies

5. The Subrecipient reasonably believes that, due to achange of scope, execution of the work in accordance with the directions from the City is unlikely to meet the established percentage or terms. In such case, the Subrecipient shall use and document “Good Faith Efforts” to achieve areasonable amount of DBE participation on the remaining work on the Agreement

ARTICLE XII -NON-DISCRIMINATION

A. Equal Employment Opportunity.Inall hiring or employment made possible by,orresulting from this Agreement,NORA will, and will requireeach sublessee to (1) notdiscriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color,religion, sex, gender age, physical or mental disability, national origin, sexual orientation, creed, culture, or ancestry,and (2) whereapplicable, take affirmative action to ensurethat such entity’semployees aretreated during employment without regardtotheir race, color,religion, sex, gender,age, physical or mental disability,national origin, sexual orientation, creed, culture, or ancestry.This requirement shallapply to,but not be limited to the following: employment, upgrading, demotion or transfer,recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff or termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, including apprenticeship. All solicitations or advertisements for employees shall state that allqualified applicants will receive consideration foremployment without regard to race, color,religion, sex, gender,age, physical or mental disability national origin, sexual orientation, creed, culture,orancestry

B. Non-Discrimination.Inthe performance of this Agreement,NORA will not, and will requireeach sublessee to not, discriminate on the basis, whether in fact or perception, of aperson’srace, color,creed, religion, national origin, ancestry,age, sex, gender,sexual orientation,gender identity,domestic partner status, marital status, physical or mental disability,orAIDS- or HIV-status against (1) any employee of the City working with NORA or any sublessee in any of NORA’s or such sublessee’soperations within Orleans Parish or (2) any person seeking accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, services, or membership in allbusiness, social, or other establishments or organizations operated by NORA or any sublessee. NORA agrees to,and shall require each sublessee to,complywith and abide by all applicable federal, state, and local laws relating to non- discrimination, including without limitation, Title VI of the Civil RightsAct of 1964, Title VIIofthe Civil RightsAct of 1964, Section Vofthe RehabilitationAct of 1973, and theAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

C. Incorporation into Subleases.NORA will incorporatethe terms and conditions of this Article into all subleases, by reference or otherwise, and will requireall sublessees to comply with those provisions.

D. Termination for Breach.IfNORA or asublessee fails to comply with the requirements of this Article during the term of this Agreement or asublease, said failuremay result in the City causing NORA to terminate such sublease or to pursue other remedies.

Independent

5. Exhibit E: Community Development BlockGrantProgram-Disaster Recoveryand Mitigation Rider

B. Direct Conflict.Ifany Exhibit directly conflicts, in whole or in part, with this Agreement, the terms andconditions of the Exhibits will control except as provided by law.

C. Difference in Standard.Ifany Exhibit differs, in whole or in part, with this Agreementintermsofrequirements, standards, timelines, etc., thenthe morestringent requirement, the higherstandard,and the longer timeline,etc shall prevailunless the Parties mutually agreeotherwise

ARTICLE XII -ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS

A. Amendment.Noamendment of or modification to this Agreement shall be valid unless anduntil executedinwritingbythe duly authorized representativesofboth Parties to this Agreement.

B. Assignment.This Agreementand anypart of eitherParty’sinterest in it arenot assignable nor transferable without the otherParty’sprior writtenconsent in its sole discretion.

C. Choice of Law This Agreementwill be construedand enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana without regard to its conflictoflaws provisions.

D. Compliancewith theCity’sHiring Requirements –Ban theBox.

1. NORAagrees to requireall sublessees to comply with the City’s hiring requirements containedinCity Code Section 2-8(d) and 2-13(a)-(f). NORAwill incorporate the terms andconditions of this Article into allsubleases,byreference or otherwise.Prior to executing anysublease, such sublessee must provide asworn statementattesting to its compliancewith the City’shiring requirements or stating why deviation from the hiring requirement is necessary

2. Failuretomaintain compliancewith the City’shiring requirements through the term of suchsublease, or to provide sufficientwritten reasons for deviation, shall constitute amaterial breach of such sublease. Upon learning of anysuchbreach,the City will provide NORAand such sublessee noticeofnoncomplianceand allow such sublessee thirty (30) days to come into compliance. If,after providing noticeand thirty (30) days to cure,suchsublessee remains noncompliant, the City maymove to cause NORAtovoid such sublease or take anysuchlegal action permitted by lawor this Agreement.

3. This section will not applytoany agreements excludedfromthe City’shiring requirements by City Code Sections 2-8(d) or (g). Should acourt of competent jurisdiction find anypart of this section to be unenforceable, the section should be reformed, if possible, so thatitisenforceabletothe maximum extentpermitted by law. If reformation is not possible, thenthe section should be fully severable, andthe remaining provisions of the Agreementwill remain in full force andeffect

4. NORAwill incorporate the terms andconditions of this Article into allsubcontracts, by referenceorotherwise,and will requireall subcontractors to comply with those provisions.

E. Construction of Agreement.NeitherPartywill be deemed to have drafted this Agreement. This Agreementhas been reviewed by the Parties andshall be construedand interpreted according to the ordinary meaning of the words usedsoastofairly accomplish the purposesand intentions of the Parties. No term of this Agreementshall be construedorresolved in favor of or against the City or NORAonthe basis of whichPartydrafted the uncertainorambiguous language.The headings andcaptions of this Agreementare provided for convenience only andare not intendedto have effect in the construction or interpretation of this Agreement. Where appropriate,the singular includesthe plural andneutralwords andwords

Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans

Advocate: September12, 2025, October17, 2025

Sep12-oct17-2t $106.12

SEIZUREAND

SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedMarch 25, 2025, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058,onOcto‐ber22, 2025 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as Ridgeﬁeld bdi i i ll

g Subdivision,all as perplanof J.J. Krebs& Sons,Inc., C.E., datedFebruary 5, 1965, approved by the JeffersonParish Councilunder ordinanceno. 7040, recorded under instrument no 323-110 in COB 61.1, folio 438, andasper Act of Dedication before C. Heebe, No‐tary Public, datedMay 31, 1965,recorded in COB615, folio 654, and as perplanof resubdivisionof RidgeﬁeldSub‐division made by J.J. Krebs& Sons Inc.,C.E., dated January12, 1970,approved by theJefferson Parish Council No 9551 recorded in entryno. 433196 andasper ActofDedica‐tion before BernhardtC Heebe, Notary Public,dated March19, 1979, recorded in in‐strument no 483-363, in COB612, folio 846 andasper plan of resubdi‐vision more par‐ticularlyde‐scribedand

PUBLICATION DATE: October 17, 2025 NOCP 8698 OFFICIALNOTICE CAL. NO. 35,268 EXHIBIT A COOPERATIVE ENDEAVORAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND THE JEFFERSON PARISH CLERK

designated as follows:

Lot26-Dof Square Awhich is boundedby TambourDrive BatisteDrive, Timbalier Drive, Square J side,westline of thesubdivi‐sion,north line of servitude, andeastline of thesubdivi‐sion,and ac‐cordingtothe aforesaid, Lot 26-Bcom‐mences at adis‐tance of 200 feet from thecornerof BatisteDrive andthe east line of thesub‐division and hasa ﬁrst frontage on BatisteDrive of 48.75 feet to a pointand a fur‐ther frontage of BatisteDrive of 1.25 feet a width across therearof50 feet,bya depth of 100 feet between equal andparallel lines. Allas more fully shownon a more recent survey of Gilbert, Kelly andCouturie, Surveyorsdated October1,1970, andaccording to a survey by Dad‐

y y ingMarques & Associates,Inc., datedJuly13, 1990, Lot26-Bof Square A, is bounded by BatisteDrive, thewest, north and east linesof the subdivisionand hasthe same location and measurements

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: September12,

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:861-876 LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VS ALEXANDERW MOOREAND LORENSALINAS MOORE By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedFebruary 28, 2025, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana,

thatgovernmental agencies work together in order to provide efficient government services.

NOW,THEREFORE,the Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court and the City of New Orleans agree as follows: SECTION 1- SERVICES

The Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court agrees to allow the City of New Orleans Health Department access and use of JeffNet, to waive end-user fees, and to charge $0.00 per page for printing of uncertified copies. SECTION 2- DURATION

The durationofthis agreement is from the effective date listed above through June 30, 2028 (the termination date) SECTION 3- INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR

Each partyhereby agrees and accepts thatitshall be acting as an independent contractor under this agreement. It is understood and agreed by the parties that they areentering into this agreement in the capacity of an independent contractor and that nothing contained in this agreement is intended to be construed as creating any other relationship between the JeffersonParish Clerk of Court and the City of New Orleans Health Department.

SECTION 4- INDEMNIFICATION

Neither party,nor its agents or employees shallbeliable forany loss, damage, or other casualty of any kind to the person or propertyofanyone arising out of or resulting from the other partyproviding or utilizing services under this agreement, whether apparent or hidden, whether due in wholeorpart to negligent acts or omissions of the other,its agents or employees, and each party hereby agrees to indemnify and hold the other,its agents

70058, on Octo‐ber22, 2025 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: THAT PORTION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐ments thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and advantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as LINCOLN MANOR SUBDIVISION, formerly Sec‐tion 7, Kenner ProjectSubdivi‐sion,all as more fully shownona plan of resubdivision by WilliamW Robert,Sur‐veyor, dated April3, 1972, approved in Ordinance Number 1400 on April24, 1972, andregistered in COB 760, Folio329, andaccording to which plan said portionis designated as

LOT NUMBER 30-Aof SQUARE NUM‐BER159, said square being bounded by Ohio Avenue (For‐merlyMalvern Street), 31st Street (formerly CharentonAv‐enue), LexingtonAv‐enue and32nd Street (formerly Glenwood Av‐enue), said lot commences 120 feet from thecornerof Ohio Avenue and32ndStreet andmeasures thence 50 feet fronton Ohio Avenue, same widthin therear, by a depthof120 feet between equaland paral‐lellines;Lot 30Aiscomposed of allofformer Lots 30 and31 and1/2 of formerLot 29 adjoiningLot 30. Allasmorefully shownonsur‐veymadeby William W. Robert,Sur‐veyor, dated June 1, 1972. All in accordance with asurveyby Gilbert, Kelly &Cou‐turie, Inc.,Sur‐veyors,dated April15, 1989; subjecttore‐i i

j strictions servitudes, rights-of-way andoutstanding mineralrights of record affect‐ingthe property

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges. TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit CANDACEA COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: September12, 2025, October17, 2025 Sep12-oct17-2t $108.77

FRICKEYFLYNT

Byvirtueofand inobedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALEfromthe 24thJudicial DistrictCourt, ParishofJeffer‐son,State of Louisiana,inthe above num‐bered andenti‐tledcause dated June 3, 2025, Ihave seizedand will proceed to sell tothe highest bidderatpublic auction,atthe Jefferson Parish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex,1233 WestbankEx‐pressway, Har‐vey,Louisiana 70058, on Octo‐ber 22, 2025at 10o'clock a.m. the following described prop‐ertytowit:

ACERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TIONOF GROUND, with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall ofthe rights ways, privi‐leges,servi‐tudes and appurtenances thereuntoap‐plying, situated itthe Parish of Jefferson,State of Louisiana, in

that part thereof known asRANCH ACRES EXTEN‐SION, which said pieceorportion ofground is shown on that certain subdivi‐sionplanbyJ.J Krebs & Sons,Inc,dated 9/17/71, ap‐provedbyOrdi‐nance No.10688 ofthe Jefferson Parish Counciladopted May 25, 1972 registeredin COB 764, folio 803, andisfur‐ther describedinac‐cordancewith surveybyJ.J Krebs &Sons, Inc.,dated March 23, 1977, resur‐veyed to show improvements on May7,1977, asLOT 29 of SQUARE5, whichsaidlot commeneces 239.53' feet from the intersection ofMesaDrive and Ames Boule‐vard, andmea‐sures thence 66.97' feet front onMesaDrive witha width in therearof 52.27 feet,by a depth on the sidelinenearer SierraStreet of 93' feet by adepth on the oppositeside‐lineof94.15' feet;subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way andoutstanding mineral rights ofrecordaffect‐ing theproperty

The Improve‐mentthereon bearing Munici‐pal 2616 Mesa Drive,Marrero, LA70072

This sale is sub‐jecttoall supe‐riorsecurityin‐terests,mort‐gages,liens and privileges.

TERMS -The full purchaseprice isdue at the timeofthe sale

NOTE:All funds mustbe Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or PersonalCheck withBankLetter ofCredit.

CANDACEA COURTEAU

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: September 12, 2025, October17, 2025 Sep12-oct17-2t $103.48

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:864-320

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VERSUS KAMRYN LORETTABLUME A/K/AKAMRYN L. BLUME A/K/A KAMRYN BLUME ANDGERALD JOSEPH BLUME, JR. A/K/AGER‐ALDJ.BLUME, JR. A/K/AGER‐ALD BLUME,JR.

proceed to sell tothe highest bidderatpublic auction,atthe Jefferson Parish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex,1233 WestbankEx‐pressway, Har‐vey,Louisiana, 70058, on Octo‐ber 22, 2025 at 10o'clock a.m. the following described prop‐ertytowit:

q p lellines,and is composedof thewhole of formerlots36 and 37 andthe rear10feet of formerlots38 through 42

This sale is sub‐jecttoall supe‐riorsecurityin‐terests,mort‐gages,liens and privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchaseprice isdue at the timeofthe sale

NOTE:All funds mustbe Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or PersonalCheck withBankLetter ofCredit.

DENNISWIG‐GINS,JR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: September12, 2025, October17, 2025

Sep12-oct17-2t $93.42

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:867-159

beredand enti‐tledcause dated July 28, 2025, Ihave seizedand will proceed to sell tothe highest bidderatpublic auction,atthe Jefferson Parish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex,1233 WestbankEx‐pressway, Har‐vey,Louisiana 70058, on Octo‐ber 22, 2025 at 10o'clock a.m. the following described prop‐ertytowit:

KATE SOTO‐LONGO

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: September 12, 2025, October17, 2025

Sep12-oct17-2t $69.59

ONE(1) CERTAIN LOT OR PARCEL OFGROUND, to‐getherwithall the buildings andimprove‐ments thereon, situatedinthat subdivision of the PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATEOF LOUISIANA,CITY OFKENNER, known as UNI‐VERSITY CITY SUBDIVI‐SION, andbeing designatedon the official sub‐divisionmap,on file andofrecordin the office of the Clerk and Recorderfor saidparishand state ,as LOTNUMBER TEN-B (10-B) SQUARE81, said subdivision said lothaving such measurements anddimensions asshown on saidmap

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:862-376

That certain piece or parcel ofground,to‐getherwithall the buildings and improvements thereon, andall the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining,situated inthe Parish of Jeffer‐son,State of Louisiana,in thatpart thereof known asCherokee Park, beinga resubdi‐visionofSquare 19ofOwn Your Own Subdivi‐sion, bounded byN Bengal Road (formerly Cherokee Street), Boone and N. Atlanta Streets, andAir‐line Highwayand moreparticu‐larly described ona plat of sur‐vey by F.G. Stewart Surveyor,dated August6,1964 asfollows: Lot"J" of Square19com‐mences105 feet fromthe inter‐section of N. BengalRoad andBoone Street,measur‐ing thence 50 feet frontonN BengalRoad, samewidth in therear, by a depth of 115 feet between equaland paral‐l l li d i

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VERSUS TOMIKA HUBERT

This sale is sub‐jecttoall supe‐riorsecurityin‐terests,mort‐gages,liens and privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchaseprice isdue at the timeofthe sale

By virtue of and inobedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALEfromthe 24thJudicial DistrictCourt, ParishofJeffer‐son,State of Louisiana,inthe abovenum‐

NOTE:All funds mustbe Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or PersonalCheck withBankLetter ofCredit.

FIRSTHORIZON BANK VERSUS FRANCISCOADA NORELLANA By virtue of and inobedience to a Writ of FIERI FACIASfromthe 24thJudicial DistrictCourt, ParishofJeffer‐son,State of Louisiana,inthe above num‐bered andenti‐tledcause, dated July 21, 2025, Ihave seizedand will proceed to sell tothe highest bidderatpublic auction,atthe Jefferson Parish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex,1233 WestbankEx‐pressway, Har‐vey,Louisiana, 70058,onOcto‐ber 22, 2025 at 10o'clock a.m. the following described prop‐ertytowit: THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TIONOF GROUND, to‐getherwithall the rights, ways,privi‐leges,servi‐d d

g tudes, andap‐purtenances thereuntobe‐longing or in anywise appertaining, situated in the State of Louisiana PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON, in that part thereof known as PARK PLACE SUBDIVI‐SION, SECTION 2,being a resubdivisionof ParcelZ-1 of ParkPlace and Parcel26por‐tionofCazalar Plantation T-14-S, R-24-E, intoLots178 through 421, all located and measuring as per plan of resubdivision made by J.J. Krebs &Sons, C.E.&S., dated November8 1979, approved by the Jefferson Parish Council under Ordinance No 14223 on Febru‐ary 20,1980, and recordedinCOB 978, folio397, and according tothe aforesaid plan thepropertyis described as follows,to-wit:

MunicipalAd‐dress: 1037 KingswayDrive East, Gretna, Louisiana 70056. This sale is sub‐jecttoall supe‐riorsecurityin‐terests,mort‐gages,liens and privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchaseprice isdue at the timeofthe sale

NOTE:All funds mustbe Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or PersonalCheck withBankLetter ofCredit.

ZACHARYGAR‐RETT YOUNG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: September 12, 2025, October17, 2025 Sep12-oct17-2t $105.07

LOT221 of SQUARE8, which square is bounded by KingswayDrive East, Fairfax Drive, Westside Drive,Algiers Outfall Canal, PlantersByPassCanal,and the Plaquemines Parish bound‐ary,and which lot commences 545 feet front the corner of Kingsway Drive Eastand West‐sideDrive and measures thence 60 feet front on Kingsway Drive East, same width in the rear, by adepth of102 feet be‐tween equal and parallel li bj p lines; subjectto restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way andoutstanding mineral rights ofrecordaffect‐ing theprop‐erty.